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Warner signs up to Vevo

By | Published on Wednesday 3 August 2016

Vevo

So, Warner has finally arrived at the Vevo party. Six and half years late. I can’t help thinking all the sausage rolls will be gone by now. And the crisps will certainly have gone stale. But hopefully they’ll remember to bring a bottle of something with them, and we can all drink that.

Music video platform Vevo, of course, is owned by Sony and Universal, though it has long licensed in content from other labels too. Warner Music, however, has always been a hold out, opting not to provide videos to a service controlled by its rivals.

That was in no small part because, at the outset, Vevo was primarily established to manage music video content on YouTube, with the major-label-controlled business, rather than Google, selling the advertising in the hope it could secure higher rates. Warner, rather than joining Vevo, either as licensor or shareholder, instead struck up its own deal with Google so that it could sell the ads on the YouTube channels that it manages.

But there is more to Vevo than the YouTube channels, of course, and for management at the company those proprietary platforms, especially the Vevo mobile apps, are the priority. And it was with that in mind that, when current Vevo boss Erik Huggers joined the company last year, he let it be known that securing Warner content was a priority.

And the long expected licensing deal between Vevo and Warner that was announced yesterday only provides for the mini major’s content to appear on the video service’s own website and apps. When it comes to YouTube, Warner will continue to manage its own channels directly.

Confirming the deal yesterday, the aforementioned Huggers said: “Today marks an important milestone for Vevo as we forge a new relationship with Warner Music Group based on a shared vision of putting artists first and creating a platform that does justice to the music. We’re excited to partner with Warner Music and bring their artists’ content to life through our new mobile and web experiences and across a range of our programming”.

Meanwhile Warner Music boss man Steve Cooper added: “Erik and his team continue to evolve their service and bring to life a new vision for Vevo. We’re pleased to have built a flexible and mutually beneficial relationship that will bring additional creative and commercial possibilities to our artists and songwriters. This partnership is the latest in a recent series of deals that are helping us explore ways to unlock the true value of music videos in attracting and engaging vast audiences”.



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