In a statement, Jonathan Miller, Chief Digital Officer of MySpace parent company News Corp said, “Owen combines a deep understanding of social networking, a keen business sense and the operational experience to guide MySpace through its next phase of growth. I’m confident his leadership will be an invaluable asset. I plan to work closely with Owen to shape our long-term vision around this vibrant community that already attracts more than 130 million users worldwide.”
In less corporate speak, Miller is essentially saying that someone from Facebook – the social network that unseated MySpace as world #1 – is exactly the person to bring MySpace back to prominence. At Facebook, Van Natta was Vice President of Operations and Chief Revenue Officer.
Which, makes his choice a bit surprising perhaps – MySpace’s problem isn’t really with monetization (at least compared with Facebook), but a feature-set that simply doesn’t measure up to its competition. On the other hand, Van Natta’s most recent job – CEO of Project Playlist – leaves the exec well-positioned to grow MySpace’s crown jewel – its online music service.