“There’s not very much that can shake the power of iPod or iTunes. That is until YouTube co-founder Steve Chen says he wants to have ‘every music video ever created’ on YouTube.com within the next 18 months. Then, anyone that works for Apple is no doubt going to start their morning with a spew of profanity,” Christopher Hogg writes for Digital Journal.
Hogg writes, “EMI, the British music group behind Coldplay and Gorillaz, says it is now in talks with the Web TV giant to host music videos and other content on the popular social networking website.”
“YouTube, which has about 20 million monthly visitors watching more than 100 million videos every day, has confirmed it has held discussions with a number of record labels in a bid to enrich the site with videos. Warner Music Group, the music moniker that was involved in a takeover battle with EMI earlier this year, also says it is in talks with the site,” Hogg writes.
Hogg writes, “If YouTube gets its hands on ‘every’ music video, it marks the beginning and end of music as the world knows it. Without more content changes (please no crappy reality shows) channels like MTV and Canada’s popular MuchMusic are going to have to start taking longer summer vacations.”
Hogg writes, “But this news is a lot bigger than MTV: A free YouTube music video service will end the paid-for content business model and will trip iTunes until it falls flat on its face. Numero uno no more.”
Full article here.
Hogg’s prediction of iTunes’ death is amazingly premature. At what level of quality will the music labels allow these free YouTube music videos’ audio tracks to be encoded? How many songs off the average album even have a video? Those are just two questions that spring immediately to mind. A free YouTube music video service will almost certainly not end the paid-for content business model or “trip iTunes until it falls flat on its face.” Numero uno is much more secure than Hogg seems to understand.
[UPDATED: 9:44am. Changed “three” to “two” for the number of questions that sprang immediately to mind. There was a third, which we considered too obvious and thusly partially edited it out, but here it is now: How many music videos does Hogg think Apple sells anyway?]
Related articles:
YouTube plans to take on Apple’s iTunes with free music videos – August 17, 2006
Quality? iTunes sells low quality.
last time I checked, I can’t play a youTube video on my iPod
Free is never totally free. How much ads do they need to cover the cost.
Do they show comercials with these music video clips?
That is for sure that music labels do not give these for free.
Has they ever given anything for free? Somebody pays always.
MDN magic word: next
Free is never totally free. How much ads do they need to cover the cost.
Do they show comercials with these music video clips?
That is for sure that music labels do not give these for free.
Has they ever given anything for free? Somebody pays always.
MDN magic word: next
When will people begin to understand that music videos are not what drives iTunes? They are a component certainly but not the core functionality.
Here’s a more interesting question
What if ALL video contest ….all TV shows and all movies were on YouTube? At what point does sustainability (not to mention competition for THEM come into play? I predict that Google Video or MSN (oh GAWD not THEM!) will provide a huge competitive site to YouTube until they fall flat on their face. Numero Uno no more.
Being labelled an iTunes or iPod killer is becoming a kiss of death. Bring on Zune!
Two words: PodTube. Get it at Version Tracker.
Any relation to Boss Hogg? Rosco and Cooter want to get their hands on a free copy of that “Boots” video from the movie.
Free? Who’s paying for these music videos? Perhaps Bill Gates’ charitable donations extend to crafty businesses as well as poor, sick, parentless, and uneducated children. It’s now reported that Bill Gates charity applies to financially strapped newspaper publishing companies. I only wish that I had an “independent news service” to promote my propaganda.
the idea of paying for music videos always struck me as rather dim. The music channels get them for free to get you interested in buying the singles and the albums on which they appear. The labels are happy to give them away.
Most CD singles include a video track these days, so you get the video *for free* when you buy the single.
On another note, have you looked at the video content on iTMS lately? I don’t think selling fewer music videos will put the store out of business …
How do the record companies or the artists benefit from giving away their product? Why not offer them free on iTunes as well? Why not free albums too? Am I missing something? And it can’t be that you cannot download the videos from youtube to your computer as this is pretty easy to do.
My 3rd gen iPod was stolen (along with my car) in January and I’ve yet to replace it. However, I have been buying videos as well as ripping music videos I already owned on DVD onto my iMac. I love being able to have a video show going on the screen. That is much different than going through many videos on YouTube one at a time.
Bing bong…
Is that another death knell for Apple iTunes..
The quality will certainly be low. Just like the quality of streaming media stinks.
This is simply not going to be as good as
people thinks it sounds (ie. ads, low qual)
YouTube…has confirmed it has held discussions with a number of record labels in a bid to enrich the site with videos
Ok. Now confirm how many times you’ve been laughed right out of those meetings.
The artists and big labels are not going to give away their videos, and YouTube is goofy if they think they’ll make up the costs with online ads. Anyone remember the dot-com bust??
Move along people, no news here.
Will YouTube’s offerings be downloadable? If not, then there’s no competition.
If so, iTunes can simply offer something similar as a taster for music sales.
Wasn’t this story posted on MDN last week as well?
One! One qvestion that springs immediately to mind in the MDN Take. Ah! Ah! Ah! [lightning]
Two! Two qvestions that spring immediately to mind in the MDN Take. Ah! Ah! Ah! [lightning]
Thre— … um … vhere is my third qvestion?
OH, MY. !!! The Sky is falling. The Sky is falling.!! . . . . . again.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
N.
Hogg isn’t predicting the fall of iTunes, he is merely pointing out that if anyone has a chance at tackling its success it will be from a service like YouTube. You shouldn’t twist words to make your argument more viable.
I wonder if those free videos will play on this SanDisk player?
Well, this is indeed very interesting. If the record labels find this to be a viable revenue stream comparable to the pay-per-download model, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t also offer individual tracks in the same manner. If YouTube is eventually able to offer a wide selection of songs and music videos for free, then the next step may be movies and tv shows as well.
The ads do not necessarily need to be added to the video or song either. Take Google, for example. Because of their high traffic, they are able to be very profitable from simple advertisements on the webpage itself, not from having to show you a ten second ad before taking you to your search results.
What will also be interesting will be the protection scheme that is used. I highly doubt Apple would license Fairplay to be used in something that competes with its own store, so Microsoft it will undoubtedly be. I think that should be Apple’s biggest concern.
I thought that the record labels LOVED paid for video downloads on iTunes. From what has been written in the business press, the record labels have been kicking themselves for the past 25 years for giving away the value of the videos to MTV. Is it possible that these idiots would make the same mistake twice? Unfortunately, they probably would.
However, even if they are compensated by YouTube through ad revenues, i don’t see how it would pay as much as a paid download.
Oh come now…this is quite a stretch. iPod + iTunes was a juggernaut long before music videos were avail. In fact, weren’t they all just streamed for free in iTunes? I’ve bought a bunch of them but then again, I’m a freak. I seriously doubt that music video makes up much of iTunes revenue.
Music videos given away at no cost … by the same guys (record companies) that think iTMS is ripping them off at the $.99 per SONG price? Wouldn’t Apple be able to either:
a) rebroadcast the videos as free podcasts
or
b) sue for unfair business practices?
I’m sorry. While I wish YouTube luck with their efforts, I don’t see this as floating. Nor would it change my buying habits – though not because I’m wed to iTMS. AFAIK, there is no tune on my iPod that is available as a music video. Maybe one in ten could be, if they used broadcast footage of the songs being performed for mainstream TV or recorded concerts, but that’s about it.
That’s (MW=)just my opinion.
Yeah, right – I have had discussions and am “in talks” with my boss over the last several weeks concerning a big raise – doesn’t mean I’m gonna get it.