The revamped MySpace is now live and open to new and old users alike. The release of the so-called ‘New MySpace’ follows a preliminary beta testing period held in July 2012 that culminated in a site preview a few months later.  Access was then restricted to invitation-only, while the finishing touches were being administered.

The refresh features a simplistic design which incorporates a side-scrolling navigational motif. Music maintains its position as the network’s central focus, with a new toolbar at the bottom of the page containing the sites trademark audio player; a ‘People’ feature that gives users access to status updates published by friends or artists they’ve subscribed to; and a ‘Discover’ option that forms an additional page of trending music stories which pertain to the user’s profile.

The launch is also being accompanied by the release of lead investor Justin Timberlake’s new single, reinforcing the network’s focus on music whilst taking advantage of the platform for some symbiotic promotion.

The New MySpace can be accessed via the URL new.myspace.com, with the old address also redirecting users to the new homepage. However, the ‘Classic MySpace’ is still in operation and can be accessed through a link at the top of the page.

Users can sign up for a new account using Facebook, Twitter or their old MySpace details, with the option to start up an entirely new account independent of external network profiles also available.