Former Myspace Music Head Holt Lands as COO at Maker (Plus Cool Video!)

As video on the Web evolves, Courtney Holt moves to the new-generation production company — which makes and distributes more professional original content to the Internet, mostly via YouTube.
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Anybeat Is a Social Network for People You Don’t Know (Yet)

A new service called AnyBeat looks and acts like existing social networks and has many of the same features. But there are key differences: Pseudonyms are allowed and almost all activity is public.

Hey Kids, Let’s Put on a $4M VC-Funded Show! A Visit to the YouTube Moguls of Maker Studios (Video)

Maker Studios, a new-generation production company, has just gotten another $2.5 million in venture funding to help it make videos, mostly for YouTube. That brings total funding from Greycroft Partners and GRP Partners to $4 million for a studio created to bring more professional original content to the Internet.
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Is There a Myspace Mafia, Too? Because Leaving Seems to Have Paid Off for Many Ex-Execs.

When the selling of Myspace winds down in the next week or so, it’ll probably attract a spate of comments about what a failure the whole social networking enterprise turned out to be. That is, unless you think of the mob of former execs who have worked at the company over time, many of whom have moved on to some more golden opportunities after leaving Myspace.

QOTD: You Know What Sounds Cool? Another Facebook!

“I know it sounds crazy, but our new company, http://altly.com, is building an alternative to Facebook. More details soon :-)”

— Former Veoh CEO, and, more recently, former MySpace Music CTO Dmitry Shapiro, setting some not-very modest goals for himself via Twitter.

Myspace Music President Courtney Holt Leaving

This one was only a matter of time: Myspace Music head Courtney Holt is stepping down, without a new gig lined up.

Google, Myspace Finally Land New Ad Deal

Google and Myspace have finally struck a new ad deal, replacing the three-year, $900 million pact that expired this fall. The two companies aren’t handing out details on the new pact, but have made it clear that it’s not going to be anything like the old one, which provided Myspace and the rest of News Corp.’s Web properties with massive guaranteed payments.

Google's New Search Won't Boost Revenues in an Instant

Google’s Instant is very fast, but the digerati are almost as quick: They’ve immediately started debating what, exactly, the new search feature is going to murder. But J.P. Morgan reminds us that, homicide aside, Google Instant won’t have an immediate impact on the company’s own revenues and costs.

Google Goes Hunting for a Music Boss

Anybody want to run the music division of the world’s biggest media company? Because Google is hiring: The search giant is casting about for an executive to run its music service, which doesn’t actually exist yet.

[UPDATED] The Spotify Song Has a Familiar Chorus: U.S. Launch Talks Back to "Square One"

When will Spotify, the best music service Americans can’t use, finally make it to the U.S.? No time soon, according to a new report from Billboard. The good news for impatient people: There are plenty of substitutes available right now.