YouTube partners with Warner Music Group

Finally the music labels are getting wise to the current state-of-online-affairs. Warner Music Group has entered into a new partnership with the online video sharing site YouTube, to allow legal distribution of their music videos. Not only will they distribute music videos, but also behind-the-scenes footage, artist interviews and original programming.

This is a great move for many reasons, but mostly because consumers get legally downloaded content, and both the label and the online host will share advertising revenue. This is YouTube's first commercial partnership for legal video distribution. Last month they announced an advertising deal with Warners to promote the new Paris Hilton album via their new Brand Channel.

The Reuters news story also reported that both companies said YouTube users would be able to incorporate music from Warner's catalog into their videos. I applaud this bold move by one of the top five music labels for being the first to step forward with their precious (and deep) content, and hooking up with a major online player like YouTube.

Warner Music executive Alex Zubillaga said "We're trying to lead through innovation as opposed to litigation."

Bravo! Let's drop the lawsuits and focus on creative ways to allow consumers access to online music, video and other interactive content. With the right system, we can all benefit; you, me, the suits, and of course, the artists themselves.

Read more at YouTube Blog.

Related Tags: Music, Rock and Roll, Music Videos, Online Music, YouTube, Warner Music, CybersMusic

Posted By: Mike