Warner Records was not acting like a record label when it inked a shrewd deal with the wildly popular YouTube today. Warner was looking more like a viral marketer. Unlike Universal which is getting ready to sue YouTube unless it cracks down on copyright infringement, Warner is making love. YouTube comes up with a royalty-tracking system that will detect when YouTube videos are using copyrighted material. Warner can then review the videos and decide whether to let them play or reject them. Warner overcomes its copyright problem. Gets to monetize its videos through advertising. Even YouTube gets to make money that it sorely needs. YouTube is not awash with financing. There has been speculation that eventually YouTube would have to sell out to keep going. YouTube founders vow to keep operating independently. Whatever you believe Warner has finally cooperated with the inevitable. Warner beat Capitol to the decision even though Capitol was considering some kind of relationship with YouTube. Instead of fighting the wave, Warner is going along with it. Does that sound like a record label to you or a company formerly known as a record label pushing itself into the future.
Warner Catches the YouTube Virus
Warner Records was not acting like a record label when it inked a shrewd deal with the wildly popular YouTube today. Warner was looking more like a viral marketer. Unlike Universal which is getting ready to sue YouTube unless it cracks down on copyright infringement, Warner is making love. YouTube comes up with a royalty-tracking system that will detect when YouTube videos are using copyrighted material. Warner can then review the videos and decide whether to let them play or reject them. Warner overcomes its copyright problem. Gets to monetize its videos through advertising. Even YouTube gets to make money that it sorely needs. YouTube is not awash with financing. There has been speculation that eventually YouTube would have to sell out to keep going. YouTube founders vow to keep operating independently. Whatever you believe Warner has finally cooperated with the inevitable. Warner beat Capitol to the decision even though Capitol was considering some kind of relationship with YouTube. Instead of fighting the wave, Warner is going along with it. Does that sound like a record label to you or a company formerly known as a record label pushing itself into the future.
