Justin Timberlake relaunching MySpace with new look, focus on music and artists

TORONTO – It joined the ranks of fallen social networking sites such as Friendster and hi5, but MySpace is relaunching with a new site and strategy with the help of Justin Timberlake.

In his leap into technology, Timberlake may be drawing from his character Sean Parker from an Aaron Sorkin film, The Social Network, in which he played a trailblazing entrepreneur behind Napster and other online projects.

Timberlake bought MySpace in June 2011 along with Specific Media Group, according to GQ magazine. The Associated Press says Timberlake bought the site for $35 million, mostly in stock. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp empire purchased it in 2005 for $580 million.

Based on a video clip previewing the relaunch, the new MySpace is aiming to focus more on music, connecting artists with fans, sharing photos, video, songs and other content.

Take a look at the video here:

Users can sign in via Facebook or Twitter. They can create their profile with photos, interests, albums, playlists and other topics. They can make friends, build “connections,” read news or reach out to fans by sending messages or taking a look at fanbase demographics.

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In its 2005 heyday, MySpace had hundreds of millions of users. According to comScore, there are now about 54 million, the BBC reports.

On its redesign website, MySpace invites those surfing the Internet to leave their email so they can receive an invite to join the network “very soon.”

“We’re hard at work building the new MySpace, entirely from scratch. But we’re staying true to our roots in one important way – empowering people to express themselves however they want,” the site reads.

“So whether you’re a musician, photographer, filmmaker, designer or just a dedicated fan, we’d love for you to be a part of our brand new community.”

SOUND OFF: Between the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media sites, are you interested in using the redesigned MySpace? Tell us what you think on Facebook.