MySpace CEO DeWolfe: Branded PMP is possible

In discussing the new service, MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe yesterday said that an MP3 player carrying the MySpace Music brand may be feasible in the future, leading to speculation he could license his brand similarly to Real with Rhapsody.

Because DeWolfe doesn't see iTunes and MySpace Music as competitors, he believes his service actually contributes to iPod sales. "If anything, we'll be accretive to iPod sales unless we develop a device." Reuters quoted DeWolfe as saying.

Online music services have variously tried to release branded players, but none have been able to make a perceptible dent in the iPod's dominant market position. The Napster-branded Samsung YP-910GS, for example, came and went five years ago with relatively little fanfare.

Probably the most notable recent example of licensed service branding is Rhapsody, which has gained some traction by partnering with multiple hardware companies to include Rhapsody to Go on their players. Additionally, Haier and iRiver make Rhapsody-branded personal media players.

Until a device is released, though, DeWolfe says his company will stay focused on the service, which launched in September, offering free streaming and playlisting of music from all four major labels within the MySpace portal.

Since launch, DeWolfe said that more than 80 million playlists have been created, and over a billion songs were streamed within the first week of the service's life.