EMI, YouTube Strike Music Video Deal

eldavojohn writes "Despite initial complaints of copyright infringement, EMI is now striking a deal with YouTube. Perhaps they've noticed that Warner's deal has boded well or they've finally come around to free marketing? From the article, "EMI and YouTube have agreed to work together to develop ways in which EMI-owned recordings can be incorporated into user generated content by YouTube users. News of the deal comes just 10 days after EMI agreed to be taken over by private equity group Terra Firma for £2.4bn." YouTube is slowly building a cadre of friends on the playground while Viacom continues to bully the new kid."

Comments

Now, maybe

[Travoltus]

EMI's approach to copyright will be based more on Terra Firma than from planet Obsolete?

Re:Now, maybe

[Shads]

You know in general, I was kinda thinking the same thing about EMI, they're the first ones to do the Non-DRM iTunes thing, they're making agreements with youtube, etc... is it really possible that they've got someone over there that understands a bit of whats going on and doesn't have their head shoved a half foot up their ass?

Re:Now, maybe

[TheDreadSlashdotterD]

No, that's not possible. The marketing department must have killed key people in the night and replaced them with dopplegangers. It's the only sane solution to this insanity.

slowing building??

[pembo13]

Even I noticed that one.

Good week for YouTube

[Tibor the Hun]

Apple is also starting to integrate it into AppleTV. (?TV)
ref
I wonder if it has anything to do with their recent commitment to strip DRM off iTunes. Maybe they're realizing that open-ness is good for business?

Bullying the new kid?

[aussie_a]

Sorry, but when you're owned by Google you don't get to try to pass yourself off as the "small kid that bullies pick on." Youtube, now with Google's backing, is old hat, with many more newer kids coming onto the block.

Re:Bullying the new kid?

[aussie_a]

Considering Google has been going head to head against big companies for a while now, no, they're not jr burgers. After all, Microsoft is new compared with some really old companies, so should we call their latest endeavour "the small kid that bullies pick on"? Of course not, that would be silly. Just as its silly to say it about Google.

Re:Bullying the new kid?

[rtb61]

Did you even RTFA, and see how much they paid for EMI and then compared that to the market value of google. Seriously the googlites need to give up on pity the poor little google, it is has log since run out of it's use by date, privacy invasive, marketdroid plus, viral marketing champions comes more to mind now.

Viacom most probably doesn't want to agree with google because it wants to compete with google in the long run, not only in video distribution but likely in search as well as a web destination portal.

As for the EMI deal that could simply be a way for major shareholders to indirectly sell off the company with out the appearance of fire sale prices from insiders and major shareholders selling off all their stock (crashing to earth comes to mind).

Independently published music as well as a growing preference for live music (people are overdosing on downloaded digital and are seeking more opportunities for live interaction) are slowly but surely killing the old publishing beasts. Those with the skills will shift their focus and grow 'Viacom' those with out will get swallowed up along the way.

Besides video is driven by links from other web sites and not by the site itself, unless the site can offer unique content, not just countless, mindless, juvenile variations upon a theme (I would include most music videos in that category).

Besides everybody knows the new kid on the block will be an invisible search engine, that offers it services to other media outlets to provide them with full featured web search, caching and neutral news search etc. with only a portion of the costs, and then shares the resulting marketing revenue (initial target market, mid sized news outlets), i.e. not one google competitor but thousands, oddly enough likely to be staffed with under paid, disgruntled, ex google coders ;).

DRM Free EMI on iTunes and Now this

[imemyself]

It seems like EMI is, or is atleast trying to be, one of the least anti-technology major record labels. Hopefully these sort of things will start a trend, or at least encourage people to demand that the others in the entertainment industry get with it already and stop fighting every new technology that comes around.

Re:DRM Free EMI on iTunes and Now this

[Synchis]

EMI will be the trend setter. Other labels will watch and wait to see what happens to EMI's profits and sales figures. If EMI is doing something right, we should see increases in the numbers. It seems like EMI is just testing the water... try something that the masses have been saying all along woudl increase sales, and see if it increases sales. If in fact the recent moves by EMI *does* increase sales figures, then the other labels will follow suit.

*BUT* if EMI goes to the extent of releasing DRM free music, and releasing its videos to youtube, and reaps no significant reward for their actions, its a sure bet that not only will the industry tighten up, but EMI will likely go back to the good ol days.

Businesses are all about numbers. If they change the way they do things, and they see no increase in the numbers, they aren't going to be encouraged to make more changes, and will likely go back to the old way because the numbers were better. As much as we would like to think it, what the slashdot community thinks is best for the industry, is not always so. Your talking a few hundred thousand people vs. a whole world of sales. For every 1 person that undestands whats going on in the industry right now, there's 10-20 that have no idea, and just keep going on with their lives like they always have.

I hate to ask

[RobertM1968]

But how does this affect EMI's relationship with Sony and the RIAA, and how would this affect (possible) actions from the RIAA?

Not trying to troll or start a war, just curious as I cant find anything that discusses this aspect anywhere online.

$2.4bn?

[MassiveForces]

Considering they paid up nearly as much for Youtube, Google might consider buying a record label to have a seat at the RIAA table. Think of the do no evil they could do... "I propose our business model should follow a stick-it-on-youtube drm free approach, all in favour say I" Google EMI "I" Google BMG "I" Google Virgin "I" Google...

Re:$2.4bn?

[Anonymous Coward]

No, it wasn't $2.4bn, it was £2.4bn which makes about $4.75bn in USD. The idea could still be viable, but the price is double from what you present.

Youtube will not be killed corporately

[smegged]

Google has too much invested in Youtube to allow any corporate action to kill it. Until Viacom realise this they are on the losing side.

EMI appear to be begrudgingly accepting that their antiquated business models need some reform. It is only a matter of time before the other labels follow suit.

he got it right actually

[game kid]

YouTube didn't set up mass extractors and power generators before building its cadre of friends, so of course building is slowing.

Youtube is re-encoding all content to H264

[swissfondue]

Macbidouille (French) is mentioning that Youtube is encoding new content to H264 and will re-encode all the old content as well later. Therefore Youtube is doing the work for Apple.

Great business decision... for once.

[NickCatal]

I've personally found quite a few songs on Youtube that I really liked and went and bought them on iTunes for $0.99 .

What a lot of people don't realize is that the quality on these videos suck, and there is currently no "easy" way to rip the audio off of these things. YouTube is in Mono for christ's sake! Even the "Higher Quality" video sites like Revver don't have all that great audio. So I don't see this cutting into the music industry's bottom line. Hell, if the users started saying what music they used in their videos it could sell a ton of music, especially from smaller bands.

My point is this. You could upload the entire Kelly Clarkson CD into individual Youtube videos with just a blank picture of Kelly Clarkson and I seriously doubt it would hurt sales (those videos don't get a ton of views anyways unless it is an unreleased/leaked copy... which if that happened would also probably sell a ton of records)

Actually

[pavon]

All of the major labels have signed deals with YouTube allowing music videos to be shown - EMI was the last. They all understand that music videos are free advertising.