Music Star

History

The Music Star story goes back to 1999. Pedro Costa, the founder, was exploring what was then a very exciting new platform for indie and label artists, MP3.com. The site invited all artists to upload their music, and based on their plays/downloads, artists would receive compensation. It was a marvelous concept that enabled the top earners to quit their day jobs and make music for a living. MP3.com then devised the idea of the NMA (New Music Army). NMA’s were netlabels for artists on the site. The NMA’s helped artists on MP3.com and beyond, and MP3 gave NMAs a percentage related to the earnings of all artists under their netlabel. Enter Music Star NMA…

The netlabel offered NMA required services as well as many additional services related to marketing and web presence. Music Star stood out from the pack sporting the cleanest and best designed web portal of all the netlabels of the time. Here’s an archived sample from 2002. It didn’t take long for Pedro’s Music Star NMA to become the #1 ranked for mp3.com worldwide.

Music Star worked with hundreds of artists from all over the world, all genres, and all levels. Some were well known artists already, while others went on to forge successful careers. Unfortunately, MP3.com succumbed to legal attacks that lead to the eventual dismantlement of the company. With the main business driver gone, Music Star phased out most of its services over time.