TheSixtyOne redesign positions it as the anti-MySpace music site

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Indie music portal TheSixtyOne launched a drastically redesigned website over the weekend. Loyal users were less than enthused, but something tells us they’ll get over it. Just take a look. The site is beautiful.

Out are the lists of songs, the blocks of text and the excessive number of buttons. In its place is a large centerpiece band photo with a few interactive buttons in the corners and pop-up song descriptions and relevant pictures overlaid on top.

The ultra-simple design positions TheSixtyOne as the anti-MySpace. Both sites grew thanks to participation by unsigned and unknown bands looking to attract exposure.

While MySpace has tacked on an ever-growing list of features and overcomplicated layouts, TheSixtyOne strips out the junk and puts what’s important at the forefront -- the song that’s currently playing.

TheSixtyOne isn’t shy about distancing itself from MySpace. On its community etiquette page, the first bullet point under ‘please don’t’ reads: ‘Spam. There’s a great site for writing the same message over and over, ‘thanks for the add,’ and chain letters. It’s called MySpace.’

-- Mark Milian
twitter.com/markmilian