RSSWarner, Sony BMG Partner with Google
By Ed Oswald | Published October 9, 2006, 11:48 AM
Google said Monday that it had signed agreements with both Sony BMG and Warner Music Group to stream each company's catalog of music videos free from its Google Video service. The deal would also eventually allow the company's AdSense partners to also stream the videos as well.
The Mountain View, Calif. based search company is working on technology that would allow Google Video users to incorporate Sony BMG and Warner content into their own content submitted to the service. Such capabilities would be provided for free.
Sony BMG has already made moves to allow free access to its video content through a service called Musicbox Video. Launched in June, the site provides music videos, along with artist interviews and live performances within a Flash-based player.
"Continuing to give users access to premium online content is a key strategic focus for Google," Google content partnership vice president David Eun said. "At the same time, this agreement is a highly visible platform to highlight our continued commitment to protecting copyrights."
Even though the service would be free, both companies stand to generate revenue. Advertising on the music video pages would be split, and in the case of the Warner Music Group videos, downloads would be available for $1.99 USD.
"Google is a defining force in the ongoing development of the Internet, and we're extremely pleased to be expanding our video relationship with them," Sony BMG Digital vice president Thomas Hesse commented.
"We are proud to partner with an online innovator like Google to further our efforts in this space and we are gratified to see that other major music and technology companies are beginning to embrace these new models as well," added Warner Music Group executive vice president Alex Zubillaga.
Ran across a story about 4 months ago with a couple record companies going nuts about people sharing music videos. (Which I found funny it took them that long since I knew people who did this back in 2000).
I always thought the idea behind music videos in the beginning was simple. Music Videos are simply "cool" ads that encourage people to buy the band's album(s).
Making people stop sharing them would be like making people stop wearing T-s***s with beer logos - why stop free advertising?
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|I wonder if iFilm is getting nervous. I also wonder if half the people reading this comment will even know who they are. =p
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|nop, no idea. who they are?
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|it doesn't matter a bit since the content offered is crap. if you take a s***ty song making it a video not going to make it better.
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|I'm getting tired of hearing a decent idea, and then seeing that theres a price tag attached.
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|yeah. everything should be free! always!
too bad it's not that way, huh? :)
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|Yeah its not, but i make it that way :-D
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|You are not entitled to anything you blood-sucking leech. People like you make me want to hurt something.
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|hurt your mother, lol
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