Yahoo's relaunched Artist Pages, however, do just that. From one webpage, users have access to a dashboard filled with content related to their favorite artists. YouTube videos, the iTunes music store, PandoraPandora reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="Pandora reviews"], Last.fm, concert information, and FlickrFlickr reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="Flickr reviews"] photos are all available in one simple and clean interface.
It may not be as flashy or image-heavy as a MySpace Music page, but it certainly gives MySpaceMySpace reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_03.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="MySpace reviews"] a run for its money in terms of functionality and customization, and Yahoo's plans to open it up to third-parties makes it an even more appealing option to music artists.
The Yahoo Artist Page Interface
The interface bares no resemblance to the old Yahoo Music artist page or even the MySpace Music page. Instead, Yahoo seems to have opted for a cleaner, simpler interface that boxes up the key content.
The top links users to videos, discography, tracks, photos, or concert information, although all of that content is available from the start page. Concert information is viewable via a Yahoo Upcoming widget and vdeos are available in the center column, both from Yahoo and from YouTubeYouTube reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_05.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="YouTube reviews"], just for starters.
This is a major upgrade from the old pages in terms of design and functionality. Having access to your Last.fmLast.fm reviews[img src="http://static1.blippr.com/images/inline-face_07.png?1237798206" caption="" credit="" alt="Last.fm reviews"] information or quick access to concert information is going to appeal to users. There is also a feature to add content to the page to customize the user's experience with the page. If they're a big fan of Pandora, it's easy to add the widget.
Future Plans with Artist Pages
This is significant - the old artist pages didn't give artists any real control over look or features. Artists can now directly publish content to their Yahoo Music Artist Pages. Blog content could be syndicated through these pages relatively soon. In addition, companies such as Netflix could build widgets to drive users to purchase music videos or movies with their favorite artists.
This is good news, especially for lesser-known artists that want to drive people to their other Web content. The clean interface and customization is appealing and could get people's attention over at MySpace Music. However, MySpace is still the market leader in this segment and it will take more innovations or very visible defections to win over artists.
Editor's Note: The new artist pages were announced today, but will not be live until tomorrow. Apologies for the confusion.
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