MTV to launch online hub for musicians and fans

(CBS/AP) MTV will return to its roots: music. The network is launching a broad platform of musician Web pages in a bid to replace MySpace.

It announced the initiative Thursday at the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas.

The site, called Artists.MTV, aims to connect music fans with their favorite performers on personalized pages. It will begin with more than 10,000 artist pages and an expectation to expand. Musicians can customize their pages with music, video, merchandise and ticket sales.

According to MTV, "The pro-artist initiative will give established and emerging artists a digital homestead where they can have more access to their presence across MTV Music Group screens to build their fanbase and opt into a number of opportunities that could help them get exposure ... and get paid."

MTV describes it as a chance for acts to have "a digital homestead" to gather their presence across MTV and its myriad sister channels and websites.

Artists.MTV will begin in a private beta version for music fans on May 16 and then fully launch this summer. Go here to sign up.

Tell us: What do you think about MTV's new initiative?