For a while the social network was flying high, even as traditional media was coming undone. 

Now it seems that the "network effect" will lead to a world of almost complete Facebook domination. 

But Myspace recently unveiled a major redesign, and in that effort there was a glimmer of hope. 

The site might not be the best social network for its 130 million users, but it could be the best destination for artists and their fans. 

Sadly, the hottest artist in the world right now is Kanye West. And Kanye decided to premiere his new single on Facebook. 

The page looks terrible. It has the same boring layout as every other Facebook page, with the same institutional colors. It's like Kanye premiered his album on a rack at Walmart and rolled out a poster to make it seem special. The oversized album cover and embedded mp3 don't even work properly. 

But of course, its easy to share with all your friends, and all your friends are on Facebook. 

Look at Kanye's Myspace, or his personal website, which he used to roll out his G.O.O.D. Friday series. It's the epitome of style, the complete opposite of Facebook.

This is MySpace's big opportunity. Become the best place to premiere new work -- be it art, music or web material -- by giving artists an aesthetic platform that enhances their image, not dulls it down to just another profile page. Facebook Connect can take care of the social layer. 

bpopper at observer dot com - @bpopper