Musical heavyweights such as 50 Cent and R.E.M. can't get by with just a MySpace page and a website any more. They need a virtual fan connection. Almost daily, the rapper sends new videos through his Kyte.tv channel to his own Thisis50.com site and to thousands of personal sites where listeners have embedded Kyte's player. Recent dispatches have included new videos with G-Unit and diatribes against rival Fat Joe. MORE: Check out five musically inclined social networking sites R.E.M. this week lets fans listen to the new album, Accelerate, on the iLike social network a week before it goes on sale. "We hope it will get a lot of exposure, and people will recommend it to their friends, and hopefully some of them will go out and buy the record as well," says band manager Bertis Downs. For artists and labels, building word of mouth about an album or tour is paramount. And they're tapping into the growing music-based social networking scene to spread the word. Magazine covers and TV and radio interviews don't carry the weight of the Web, and as features evolve, R.E.M.'s website and MySpace page were not enough, Downs says. Since its beginnings in summer 2006 as a social network for finding and recommending music, iLike.com has grown to 23 million members, says CEO Ali Partovi. As the community grew, iLike added features for artists to post videos and news; meanwhile, Partovi began approaching artists and labels about providing content to iLike. One mid-November discussion Partovi had with Bono turned into a video interview in which the U2 frontman sang a just-finished song, Wave of Sorrow. Once posted, it was viewed and forwarded by more than 1 million within a week. Then Keith Urban signed on to post weekly videos and to offer tour ticket presales and fan events. "The Internet basically empowers consumers to get exactly what they want and artists to put out exactly what they want," Partovi says. Social networks' clout is growing within the industry. In May, CBS purchased music recommendation site Last.fm. In July, Warner Music cemented a relationship with community Imeem after suing the site for letting users illegally share music. R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn seemed a perfect talent to exploit Kyte's video network, says Dave Bell of Sony-owned Jive Records. "He's a genuine person, and he's not shy." Using a cellphone, DeVaughn sent videos to his Kyte.tv channel from last month's Grammys — his song Woman was nominated for best R&B single — and from his current tour with Jill Scott. "This is so user-friendly, and as an artist you can invite somebody into your world with a snap of the finger," DeVaughn says. TELL US: Do you use your blog or social network to connect to musicians? Share you story in the comments. Enlarge By Mary Ellen Matthews DeVaughn: R&B singer sends videos from his cellphone to his Kyte channel. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.