MySpace launches music video site

The social networking website MySpace has launched an internet video channel, Earwig TV, aimed at making it easier for users to spot new music talent

Lily Allen, Kate Nash and the Arctic Monkeys all found fame through MySpace, now owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. But thousands of wannabe musicians post their work on the site that it is difficult for music fans to pick out artists they like.

Earwig will feature short video clips on selected bands and artists, in which they talk about themselves, where they come from and their musical influences. The bands themselves will produce the videos.

MySpace already has an influential music channel, but Earwig will provide a platform for new music: bands that have not been signed, or have only just struck a deal with a record label. Each week, MySpace will select an artist of the week, who will also be featured on the site's front page.

Alex Robertshaw, whose band Operahouse is one of the first to be featured, said: "When I was younger, I always wanted to know how bands interacted in person. Now we have a seven-minute programme which gives a brief explanation about where we come from."