What started out as a social networking site has now become a pseudo label for rising artists and bands. Who would’ve thought that hopeful musicians can bypass the major record labels and still be successful?

Blogger Noah Grieco showcased Kate Voegele in his ”Independent Artist Series” on his PR Rocks blog Voegele successfully launched her music career on MySpace and now guest stars on CW’s One Tree Hill.

An article on BusinessWeek.com reported that from the beginning, MySpace has always catered to musicians. Any entertainer can all have a specially designed MySpace page with pictures, tour dates, biographies, blogs and music. The best thing about the music feature is that visitors can listen to or download the songs, a lot of times for free, and learn the lyrics.

Big label artists such as Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani and Beyonce all have profiles.

The real appeal are those unsigned or indie-label artists who don’t have the big bucks to do the traditional PR and promotion. These pages fall into the direct feedback category that many A-list celebrities don’t have.

Fans can comment on pictures and on MySpace pages and celebrities have the opportunity to know exactly what each fan is thinking.

Comedians also use MySpace to promote their careers. Unlike artists and actors, their craft doesn’t get blasted on the mainstream media as often. They perform in comedy clubs, universities/colleges, and lower-education schools. Comedians can put clips, audio and visual, of their performances on their pages for fans who don’t have the opportunity to see them in person.

Dane Cook, while an A-list celebrity now, started his career small with the accompaniment of a MySpace page after launching a traditional Web site. Cook actually became one of the first comedians to launch his own Web site, according to his biography. One special feature about Cook’s page is how he gets his fans involved through his “Top 40 friends,” which are selected based on who has the best SUperFInger picture. What’s also smart is that he changes it periodically with a new contest, which injects more enthusiasm within his fan base.

The beauty of this new guerrilla tactic is that it levels the playing field between entertainers. New musicians who want to get a major record contract have to struggle for a long time before they can actually “make it.” Oftentimes, when entertainers actually do make it, there could be a disconnect between them and their fans because of the mainstream PR tactics they use. MySpace helps entertainers make a beeline to their fans.

Kate Voegele image courtesy of mtv.com

Dane Cook image courtesy of siriusbuzz.com