Earlier this year, MySpace launched its Karaoke service, but has now upgraded it in a big way including adding video so we can actually watch people humiliate themselves without going to the bar (I’ve certainly been on both sides of that).
I have to wonder if the lack of that alcohol-fueled bar element will take away from some of the enjoyment of watching people sing popular songs, but when I think about the user-generated content of YouTube, something tells me there will be plenty of entertainment value to this.
Besides video (which is offered in HD), other elements of the new version include:
– Complete redesign and improved navigation
– New recommendation engine
– Dedicated Upload Manager
– Advanced sharing options (including an embeddable player)
– A series of high profile contests to help kick off launch starting with Jesse McCartney and Seal
Still, the video is the biggest draw to the service now, as users have apparently been calling for it since launch. “The MySpace Karaoke video recorder is the first application of its kind, and is built on the site’s proprietary technology, allowing users to record video in either Standard or High-Definition formats,” MySpace tells murdok. “Users can take full advantage of the site’s advanced functionality on their home computers, with only a microphone, webcam and Internet connection.”
This will likely attract a lot more people to the service, as well. MySpace is definitely expecting it to. “In less than six months since its launch, over four million users have visited MySpace Karaoke and there are over 500,000 recordings, making it the largest karaoke venue in the world,” said Nimrod Lev, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MySpace Karaoke. “With the redesign and the added video experience, we expect to widen our reach even further.”
So how many of you will spend your Friday nights singing into your webcam to share with the MySpace community now? If nothing else, it’s a noble offering in that it could prevent some drinking and driving. Although something tells me this will be bigger with the younger crowds than bar-hopping adults. A quick look at the redesign can be seen below.
