MySpace Honors Rock Band AFI With Inaugural 'MySpace Music Award'

LOS ANGELES (www.myspace.com) - MySpace.com, the leading Internet lifestyle portal, announced that rock band AFI will receive the inaugural "MySpace Music Award" for a record-breaking 500,000 single-day plays from the band's heavily trafficked MySpace Music profile (www.myspace.com/afi). The honor marks the first time MySpace has issued such an award to any of the more than 1.5 million bands using the site to connect with fans.

"This is the first time a band has had over a half-million song plays on MySpace in a single day so we wanted to recognize this unbelievable accomplishment with something new," said Tom Anderson, president of MySpace. "In recognition of this milestone we're announcing AFI as the first recipient of the 'MySpace Music Award.'"
"It's amazing," commented AFI guitarist Jade Puget. "It's a testament to both MySpace and to our fans."

AFI's achievement coincided with the release of their highly anticipated seventh album, titled "DECEMBERUNDERGROUND." With more than 300,000 MySpace friends and as one of the most-viewed acts on the site, AFI uses its profile to communicate with fans through blog postings, tour dates, behind-the-scenes content such as the making of the music videos, and exclusive access to new music.

Like most bands on MySpace, AFI offers fans the opportunity to hear new tracks for free before deciding whether to purchase albums or individual songs. Unlike other major music sites on the Internet, artists on MySpace offer listeners the opportunity to hear entire songs rather than just brief clips.

MySpace Music, launched in April 2005, has rapidly become one of the most influential online music destinations worldwide and will continue to provide both mainstream and indie acts connectivity with fans enabling exclusive album premieres, friend networks, music videos, and podcasts. Recent launches of both MySpace Records and MySpace Music Videos have allowed fans further access and interactivity to bands at every level.