MySpace Mexico to exit beta on Tuesday

On Tuesday, MySpace will take another step in its gradual global expansion by fully launching the MySpace Mexico portal. The site has been in beta since January; MySpace has highlighted its success with ComScore statistics that put MySpace Mexico's total unique active visitors. at approximately 1.5 million per month.

MySpace, which gained much of its early buzz in the U.S. by catering to the independent music community, has aimed for a similar strategy in Mexico--in May, it sponsored the Vive Latino festival in Mexico City. To commemorate the launch of MySpace Mexico, the News Corp.-owned social network will be holding one of its "Secret Shows" concerts in Mexico City on July 31, a week after the new portal's debut; the headlining act will be Mexican rock band Cafe Tacuba.

The fully launched Mexican portal will join over a dozen regional sub-sites that the 115-million-member social network currently operates--ranging from Switzerland to Japan to New Zealand--in a smattering of different languages.

Simultaneously, MySpace announced two personnel additions to its Latin American operations--Victor Kong, a veteran of MTV Networks Latin America, has been hired as managing director of MySpace Latin America; and Jose Casanova, formerly of EMI Music Mexico, will join the company as marketing manager for MySpace Mexico.