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Google Partners With Sony, Warner for Music Videos

Oct 9, 2006  •  Post A Comment

Google’s Web-video service will feature music videos from Warner Music Group and Sony BMG, marking the Internet search giant’s first agreements to distribute record labels’ content.

Under the deal, Google will stream both labels’ music collections on Google Video, offering them free accompanied by advertising, or for purchase for $1.99 each. Google will share revenue generated from the partnership with the music companies.

The Warner and Sony deals kick in this month, Google said in a statement. Going forward, Google will make music-video content from both labels available through the network of third-party Web sites where it places ads using the AdSense service. Google also plans to develop technology that will allow users to include content from both labels in videos they create and post on Google Video.

Google came under fire nearly two years ago when it sidestepped TV content owners with the rollout of the test version of Google Video. Since then, the company has revised its strategy to work closely with content owners and copyright holders. Music videos are among the most popular video content on the Web, and are often uploaded without copyright permission to video-sharing sites. The twin agreements underscore the need for online video destinations to work with content owners.