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Justin Timberlake's Newest Pet Project: Myspace TV

Posted 1/10/12 10:45 am EST by in Justin Timberlake, myspace


By Zachary Swickey

MySpace got off to an early start at this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) yesterday in Las Vegas with co-owner Justin Timberlake announcing the company’s latest attempt at staying relevant, MySpace TV.

"We’re ready to take television and entertainment to the next step by upgrading it to the social networking experience. Why text or email your friends to talk about your favorite programs after they’ve aired when you could be sharing the experience with real-time interactivity from anywhere across the globe?” he stated in his presentation. (How about watching television with your friends in-person? Whatever happened to that?)

Apparently, the service will allow you to essentially watch a program and share or comment with your friends online about it, whilst viewing the content in real-time. You can also invite your friends to watch a program with you and join online fan communities.

The presentation mentioned that initial channels will be music-focused and get some good use out of the website’s library of 100,000 music videos and over 42 million songs. Although, it is noted that they will eventually go beyond the world of music and work “to encompass movies, news, sports and reality channels, with a growing lineup of today’s most popular broadcast and on-demand content.”

Of course, an app of the service will soon be available on tablets and smartphones. Read More...

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Justin Timberlake's Myspace Buy-In Just Latest Curious Celeb Investment Deal

Posted 7/1/11 8:00 am EST by in Blink-182, Celebrity, Dr.-Dre, Fashion, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake


Justin Timberlake

Nobody wants to be just a singer or actor anymore. You're nobody in this world until you have your own product line, whether it be swim suits, cologne, nightclubs, top-shelf liquor brands or energy drinks.

And while it makes perfect sense for a wildman rocker like Sammy Hagar to launch a line of high-end tequila, or for beatmeister Dr. Dre to launch a line of booming headphones and laptops, sometimes those celebrity/brand marriages are a bit murkier.

Case in point: the announcement this week that Justin Timberlake has bought a minority stake in once-hot social networking site Myspace and that he'll be taking on the role of creative visionary at the relaunched company, which was bought at a fire sale by a West Coast tech firm. Yes, Timberlake has proven to be a triple threat as actor, singer and label boss, not to mention a fashion maven with his William Rast clothing line.

That got us thinking about other male music stars who've made bold deals with companies that might have seemed bizarre at first, but turned out to be among the best moves they've ever made.

50 Cent and Vitaminwater: Laugh all you want, but 50 has been savvy all along about his non-music ventures. From his G-Unit sneakers and clothing line to various PlayStation games, book imprints and RGX Body Spray, 50 has always looked for new opportunities. None has paid off like his deal with Glaceau, which hooked up with the rapper for the Formula 50 supplement drink. When Coca-Cola purchased Glaceau for more than $4 billion in 2007, 50 was estimated to have earned more than $100 million on the deal.
Read More...

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The Many Side Projects Of Current Internet Entrepreneur Justin Timberlake

Posted 6/30/11 2:15 pm EST by in Justin Timberlake


Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake, who was once known primarily as a singer (in case you forgot), announced yesterday that he is taking an ownership stake in Myspace. The amount of Timberlake's investment was not disclosed. Myspace itself was sold by News Corp. to Specific Media this week for $35 million in cash and equity.

Timberlake will reportedly assume the role of creative director for the site and already has big plans. "There's a need for a place where fans can go to interact with their favorite entertainers, listen to music, watch videos, share and discover cool stuff and just connect," Timberlake said in a statement. "MySpace has the potential to be that place. ... Art is inspired by people and vice versa, so there's a natural social component to entertainment. I'm excited to help revitalize MySpace by using its social media platform to bring artists and fans together in one community."

The singer-actor’s latest venture adds to the lengthy list of side businesses He Who Brought Sexy Back balances with his career as an entertainer. From restaurants and clothing lines to booze and now social media, there’s nothing this guy can’t do. Read More...

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MySpace Music Gets Supersize Sponsors, But Still No Launch Date

Posted 9/15/08 12:12 pm EST by in Internet


Remember back in April, when we told you that MySpace was starting a new MySpace Music service that would offer a boatload of streaming major-label music and videos, DRM-free downloads and links to concert tickets and merchandise? Well, there's still no word on when the thing might actually launch, but the site announced on Sunday that it had locked down four major sponsors for the venture: Sony Pictures, Toyota, McDonald's and State Farm. Because if there's anything the kids love, it's eating burgers in their Priuses while watching "Spider-Man," secure in the knowledge that they are fully insured.

Read more about the new MySpace Music deals here.

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Lawyer For MySpace Hoax Defendant Says His Client Falsely Charged

Posted 7/24/08 9:42 am EST by in myspace, Teen Suicide


An attorney for Lori Drew, the Missouri woman accused of using a fake MySpace persona to bully a 13-year-old girl who eventually committed suicide, has argued that the charges against his client should be dropped because no law exists to prohibit such behavior. Attorney H. Dean Steward said the government went beyond the legal limits by charging Drew under a statute typically used to go after computer hackers and deceitful government employees.

Read the complete story here.

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For The Record: T.I., ‘Idol,’ Gnarls Barkley & More

Posted 5/16/08 5:35 pm EST by in For The Record


TIFTR

· T.I. and his fiancee Tameka "Tiny" Cottle welcomed a new son into the world at 12:48 a.m. this morning. The boy, Major, is T.I.'s fifth child, and his second with Cottle.

· The “American Idol” tour kicks off on July 1st.

· Gnarls Barkley will play MySpace’s 150th “secret show,” in NY on June 8th.

· If you have extra cash to blow, you might want to consider this amazing sound system, touted as “the $13,000 iPod.”

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