New Universal/YouTube venture gets Britney and ‘The Boss’

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Universal Music Group has enticed another major label -- Sony Music Entertainment --- to join its planned Vevo music video service.

Sony will contribute professionally created videos from its roster of performers, which includes Bruce Springsteen (aka The Boss), Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and Britney Spears.

Universal is working with YouTube to develop a new music hub, where viewers watch professionally created music videos of, say, Pink performing ‘Please Don’t Leave Me’ without having to wade through 80,000 or so cover renditions.

The goal is to imitate the success of Hulu, the red-hot online service that has attracted viewers and advertisers by offering professionally created content -- television shows, movies and short videos. As with Hulu, Vevo would also serve as a syndication platform to redistribute music videos elsewhere on the web.

To succeed, however, Universal still needs to sign on the two other major music labels, Warner Music and EMI, with whom it’s reportedly in discussions. Until that happens, half of the pop cannon won’t be enough for music fans.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski