MUMBAI: Google has inked individual deals with Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group Corp., which will enable it to provide the music companies’ music video collection available for online streaming at no cost to users.
Warner Music Group Corp’s and Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s music video collection will be available through an ad-supported revenue sharing agreement, or to purchase videos online for download. Starting this month, users in the US can watch any of the thousands of music videos, artist interviews, “behind-the-scenes†footage and other artist-related content from WMG on Google Video. In addition, Google will develop technology that, when implemented, will enable users to include certain content from companies such as Warner Music Group in the videos they create and upload to Google Video.
In the coming months, users will also be able to access content from Sony BMG Music Entertainment artists and WMG audio-visual content through Google’s partner websites in its AdSense network.
Sony BMG Music Entertainment, WMG, Google and web publishers will now be able to monetize professional video content while respecting copyrights through these video distribution models.
“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. We see this agreement as an important part of our overall strategy to innovate, find new ways for our artists to connect with their fans, and develop new revenue streams. We look forward to working closely with Google as we roll out this ambitious new effort,” said Sony BMG Music Entertainment president, global digital business Thomas Hesse.
“Our partnership with Google is rooted in the pioneering approach we’ve used to offer fans more music, while benefiting artists and protecting copyrights. Viewing the online world as a significant opportunity, we are transforming Warner Music from a traditional ‘songs-and-records’ company into one that delivers rich music-based content on multiple platforms, in a variety of ways. 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,” said Warner Music Group executive vice president, digital strategy and business development Alex Zubillaga.
“Continuing to give users access to premium online content is a key strategic focus for Google. By combining our network of hundreds of thousands of advertisers, unequaled distribution via our publisher network and high quality content like Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s music video library we can meet online user demand, provide advertisers a new way to communicate with their customers and give content holders a way to monetize their content while respecting important copyrights,†said Google vice president content partnerships David Eun.
“In support of our mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, we’re excited to organize and make available to Google Video users the music video library of Warner Music Group. This agreement also allows us to realize a threefold goal of meeting online user demand, providing advertisers with a new way to communicate with their customers, and giving content holders a way to monetize their content; we achieve this by combining Google’s network of hundreds of thousands of advertisers, unparalleled distribution via our publisher network and high quality content like Warner Music Group’s music-video library. At the same time, this agreement is a highly visible platform to highlight our continued commitment to protecting copyrights,†Eun added.
Sony BMG Music Entertainment and WMG will be able to monetize its music video content online by leveraging Google’s advertiser network of hundreds of thousands of advertisers. Both the companies’ music video catalog will be sponsored by Google advertisers making it free to all users. The advertising revenue generated will be shared by Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Google.
Besides providing ad-supported content on Google Video, select WMG’s music videos will immediately be available for purchase as downloads on Google Video for $1.99.
In the coming months, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and WMG will also work with Google to distribute select videos from its vast archives to websites around the world via Google’s extensive AdSense publisher network, making it easier for music fans to access streaming premium content while surfing the web, all at no cost to the user. Web publishers will be able to easily display videos that match the tone of their sites adding value to their online content and creating a new way to earn revenue from their sites. Each time a user is interested in the accompanying ad and clicks on the video, the web publisher, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Google as also WMG and Google accrue revenue.
Google will also work together with Sony BMG Music Entertainment and WMG to create a new service that will allow music fans to access user-created music video content featuring certain material from Sony BMG Music Entertainment and WMG’s library of recorded music, while at the same time respecting the rights of artists and copyright holders.
