Headlines

March 13, 2008

NYT: Spitzer Scandal Turns Spotlight to Music Startup

New York Times | Read Full Story >

New York Times:

But the spotlight that has focused on the 22-year-old, whose job as a prostitute led to Mr. Spitzer’s resignation as New York’s governor, has also turned onto a small online music startup as well. AmieStreet.com, a two-year-old Web site founded by three Brown University students and backed by Amazon.com, has seen a flood of traffic as thousands have sought to listen to the pop music stylings of Ms. Dupré.

The site is organized around a relatively new principal of pricing. Songs are initially available for free, but as more users download the song, its price goes up, to a maximum of 98 cents. Artists selling songs on the site include Thom Yorke of Radiohead (who sold its most recent album, “In Rainbows,” with a somewhat similar pricing system), Cat Power and Dolly Parton.

AmieStreet.com takes an initial $5 cut of every song, a charge it says pays for backend costs. After that, musicians receive 70 percent of all proceeds. The site says it offers music as MP3 files with no digital rights management — meaning they can play on any music player — and artists can sell their songs on other sites as well.

AmieStreet.com is also married to a social network: Users are given a limited number of recommendations, which give them credits if a song they have recommended goes up in price.

Ms. Dupré’s first single, “What You Want,” was initially available Wednesday morning for free. Within hours of The Times’s story identifying her role in the Spitzer saga, its price shot up to 98 cents.

On Thursday morning, a second single, “Move ya Body,” went online. As of 11:11 a.m., its price had quickly risen to 92 cents.

UPDATE: Grooveshark: Pimp Ashley Alexandra Dupre’s tracks for cash…

UPDATE: Ashley’s ‘What We Want’ getting national radio airplay…‘rolled with P. Diddy’s crew’

EARLIER:

Eliot Spitzer’s prostitute Ashley Alexandra Dupre knows ‘What We Want’

Move Ya Body: Ashley Alexandra Dupre uploads a new song…already up to $0.98 on Amie Street…


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#1 nonactionhero says:

Lucky for her, I guess. It's undoubtedly an upswing in her life, albeit for all the wrong reasons. I'm happy for any possible change in fortune this brings to her, but what this says about the music industry and the media in general is saddening if not entirely shocking. I said when Paris Hilton's album dropped that it wouldn't be much of a stretch for the major labels send talent scouts to brothels in the near future. This is a little too close to that statement for comfort. This girl and her mediocre talent are getting a free ride out of this, while talented musicians continue to struggle in obscurity.

#2 George Vreeland Hill says:

Eliot Spitzer has to be 2008's Jackass of the Year.
He blew his career, or rather, she "blew" it for him.
Did she Spitzer or swallow?
It is clear that we need to get rid of many of the leaders we have in this country.
Far too many of them are idiots.
While we are at it, we need to get rid of many judges, and the laws that let people off the hook while others pay for doing the same things.
Get rid of guns too.
Get rid of a lot of things.
I want my old country back.
Bye Spitz.
You won't be missed.
I am,

George Vreeland Hill

#3 Craig says:

In a better world, this woman would not be able to profit, or any proceeds would go to charity. Just like Monica dearest. Costs the American public just a little bit more trust in its government and the criminal gets rich. Anyone who would actualy pay for this rubish should be ashamed. hell, if ya got to hear it, go to U-Tube, but do not buy it! Butttt, donot get me wrong, I have nothing against prostitution, it should be legal, but Mr. S should sink like a stone as he PUBLICly condemmed it. Shades of Jimmy Swagart, remember him?

#4 JK says:

Screw her music career...she should do porn, she is a ho afterall so she would probably be pretty good at it.

#5 juan says:

She looks like a tranny to me.

#6 Must b lame says:

Only in America...

I serve 10 years in the Army, get out and go to school for 6 more finally earning my graduate degree all the while taking BS jobs along the way to only graduate and get hired by some A-hole executive, kiss everyone's ass, and barely make enough money to get by yet alone have a nice vacation because I need to cut back to have enough to fill the gas tank to get to work - I thought this was doing the right thing?

She (whoregirl) sleeps around gets paid and we continue to feed into the crack whore's addiction by downloading more songs which make her an overnight success where she earns more money in a night than some do in a year wiping retards asses because no one else will care for them.

Where in the hell did I go wrong? WTF is this world coming too? We actually reward criminal behavior when it has a positive outcome. But if I shoot the bastard for cutting me off, that to is a positive outcome for everyone right? Or if I decide to cook and sell meth then donate the profits to the Sherriff’s department or church for the tax write off...right?

Someone help me understand this....

#7 Bridgette says:

She had better cash in on her 15 mins of fame. The way she looks she won't last long anyway. I can't imagine the Ex-Gov paying thousands for that?? He could have done much better.

#8 geodano says:

i thought the one who shall apologize to public was not spitzer himself,but her unable wife.she make spitzer lacks of sexual satisfication thus let him looking out of specal service on hooks..poor male..

#9 David says:

There is no such thing as a free lunch, the price of what she does for a living is the way she will be viwed by her friends, family, world, for the rest of her life. It will affect her future realtionships, in other words she is screwed in many ways.

#10 Colie Brice says:

Lucky for her?

So a whore who can't sing gets a gazillion myspace plays, but some of the best artists I know shall remain anoynmous?

This is our society?

What have we become?

ASBURYMUSICIAN.com

#11 Julia says:

I still can't understand why men pay for sex and why women charge for it. Spitzer ruined his career, his life, and the lives of others. This woman has ruined her life.

#12 Jess in MD says:

Rising in any event under such rocky and unusual circumstances doesn't pay too well in the end. By the time the commotion is over with, she'll be feasting at a nearby McDonalds with Monica Lewinski.

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