SoundLoud to challenge MySpace Music
![steve-ohear.jpg](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/8404b895e1449d516d35b690fb87181a91b7771e/2014/07/22/9e5027b6-1175-11e4-9732-00505685119a/steve-ohear.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&frame=1&height=192&width=192)
SoundLoud is the latest music service attempting to monetize the very end of the long tail by providing a mechanism for independent and unsigned musicians to sell their music online. Unlike centralised music stores such as iTunes, SoundLoud's main offering is the SoundStation Music Store, an e-store widget designed to be placed on band websites and MySpace profiles, which enables tracks to be purchased for download.
![SoundStation music player widget](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/2014/10/04/f7a87d1e-4b84-11e4-b6a0-d4ae52e95e57/soundstationplayer.png)
With regards to MySpace, SoundLoud faces tough competition from the social network's in-house offering (powered by Snocap). Having said that, SoundLoud offers a slightly better deal for artists by keeping 33 cents per $0.99 of each track sold, compared to Snocap's 45 cents.
No threat to Apple
When MySpace first announced its intention to start selling music downloads, the company's co-founder Chris DeWolfe (in what can only be described as wishful thinking) was quoted as saying:
Everyone we’ve spoken to definitely wants an alternative to iTunes and the iPod. MySpace could be that alternative.
It's true that MySpace Music (along with SoundLoud) does provide a much needed way for independent musicians to monetize their content, and creates alternative destinations for consumers. However, as the tracks sold on these services will be good old-fashioned (and DRM-free) MP3s, they'll work just fine on the iPod - which is of course where Apple makes most of its money anyway.