NEW R.E.M. ALBUM TO PREVIEW ON MYSPACE.COM

Say someone hears some tracks from the new R.E.M. album, Around the Sun, due for release by Warner Bros. on Oct. 5. Say they tell two friends about it. And they tell two friends. And they tell two friends. And so on, and so on, and so on...

No, it’s not a bad shampoo commercial flashback, it’s a new approach to getting the word out about a new release. Starting today, users of MySpace.com, a personal networking site dedicated primarily to helping users expand their social circles through “friend-of-a-friend” connections and even matchmaking, will be able to listen to tracks from Around the Sun and explore links to tour dates, iTunes clips, photos, wallpaper and ringtones. The promotion is set to last two weeks.

The arrangement is said to be the first of its kind between a record label and a personal networking site, according to Reuters, and represents an opportunity for Warner Bros. to reach a good portion of MyPlay’s four million registered users, especially if they take advantage of the ability to add the R.E.M. preview to their personal profiles and share it with their MySpace friends. Unregistered users may also listen to the preview tracks and explore the accompanying links, but won’t be able to share them within the MySpace community—though there’s nothing stopping them from using good old-fashioned e-mail or talking about the promotion (gasp!) on the telephone.

MySpace isn’t saying whether the R.E.M. deal represents an advertising commitment on the part of Warner Bros. or a “business development” promotion for MySpace, but a MySpace rep tells Reuters to look for “many more deals like this in the future.”