MySpace Music could shake up digital music

give people full access to the songs via the computer and mobile devices, how do all the stakeholders get paid? I don't think there's enough ad revenue today to compensate for all the hundreds of millions of dollars that would be put at risk," Crupnick said.

Gartner analyst Mike McGuire also believes that before MySpace moves on to think about a mobile music service, it must prove that the PC-based service is sustainable via its main revenue driver, ads, as well as its other revenue sources. Those initially include song and ringtone purchases, and sales of tickets and merchandise will be brought into the mix later.

"What remains to be seen is whether the ad revenue over the next year or two can deliver something compelling," McGuire said in an interview. To accomplish that, the service has to be embraced by a critical mass of MySpace members.

Still, MySpace Music has the potential to shake things up. "Given their scale and some of the advertisers they signed on, and the link to the Amazon store, it'll be a very interesting addition to the online music market," McGuire said.

In a blog posting, Jupiter Research analyst David Card said MySpace Music could blend the discovery of music, the listening experience and the purchasing environment, and thus fulfill a key promise of online music.

"That's a good vision, right? Too bad there hasn't been any proven demand for it. Perhaps MySpace will tap that hidden demand -- they're in a very good position to do so," Card wrote.