MTV to Unveil New Website ‘Artists.MTV’ in May

MTV is planning to launch a new website, Artists.MTV, to connect fans with their favorite performers on personalized pages that put the artists' brands, not MTV's, front and center.

Artists.MTV, which is expected to go live this summer, will allow stars and unknowns alike to take control of their page, promote themselves and generate income by selling products and services directly to fans.

The goal of Artists.MTV is to help artists "get heard, get promoted and get paid — most importantly."

The website, which was at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music, film and interactive conference in Austin, Texas, is being created with Topspin, a direct-to-fan software platform. It allows artists to sell music, t-shirts, or other merchandise on the site, as well as book a gig. Artist pages will feature virtual tip jars allowing fans to "tip" the performers.

MTV also plans Full Frontal, a TV program highlighting selected artists across MTV's networks who are picked based on data from Artists.MTV and an industry panel including musicians and record executives.

Artists and fans can sign up at www.artists.mtv.com to receive updates and participate in a private beta launch beginning in May.