Sweet Stream o' Mine

Sam Gustin writes: "Chinese Democracy" is finally here.

In a major coup for MySpace Music, the new Guns N' Roses album is now available three days ahead of its official launch date.

Listeners can stream the album for free -- and yes, it's legal -- though they won't be able to download copies of the songs. "Chinese Democracy," the band's first album of original material since 1991, will officially go on sale in physical format exclusively at Best Buy this Sunday, November 23.

"Guns N' Roses is rock and roll defined. I'm as eager as everyone to hear it," MySpace president Tom Anderson said in a statement. "It's truly an honor to premier this album on MySpace before it's available to the world at large."

The early release of "Chinese Democracy" is a savvy move by the band's manager, Irving Azoff, the industry power-broker who just took control of Ticketmaster. Azoff is hoping to use the exposure from MySpace Music release to drive shoppers into Best Buy to purchase the physical album as the holiday shopping season heats up.

Last month, I questioned Azoff's digital strategy after the Ticketmaster merger. He may not have solved the industry's troubles, but by teasing the public with a streaming-only release of the album, Azoff shows that he's clearly engaged with the issue.

For MySpace Music, the joint venture between News Corp.'s huge social network and the major record labels, "Chinese Democracy" represents a big victory in its mission to wean listeners from Apple's dominant iTunes online music store. There's no word on when the set will hit iTunes.