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Warner Opens Video Library To YouTube 84

Oxen writes, "From the article, 'Warner Music has agreed to make its library of music videos available to YouTube, marking the first time that an established record company has agreed to make its content library available to the user-generated media company. Under the agreement, YouTube users will have full access to videos from Warner artists. They will also be permitted to incorporate material from those videos into their own clips, which are then uploaded to YouTube. Warner and YouTube will share advertising revenue sold in connection with the video content.' This is in contrast to how Universal is handling the situation."
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Warner Opens Video Library To YouTube

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  • Initiative (Score:5, Insightful)

    by eldavojohn ( 898314 ) * <eldavojohn@g[ ]l.com ['mai' in gap]> on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:31AM (#16129119) Journal
    So this must be part of their every music video ever [arstechnica.com] initiative?

    Under the agreement, YouTube users will have full access to videos from Warner artists.
    Wait, you mean you can put this media out there online for free and you can still turn a profit? That's insane. That goes against everything I've ever been told by the RIAA & MPAA.

    I'm very happy and excited about this. I hope that this turns out to be a lucrative move for Warner and, more importantly, the artists. Sites like Youtube combined with this relatively new kind of business model could represent an alternative for distributing writing, songs & video. It's nice to see a company adapt to the fans instead of forcing it vice versa through thousands of lawsuits.

    This is in contrast to how Universal is handling the situation.
    Uh, yeah, Universal isn't interested in Youtube or MySpace distributing their content ... but at least they're going to put it online anyway [slashdot.org].
    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by kfg ( 145172 ) *
      It's nice to see a company adapt to the fans. . .

      . . .who have been screaming for more advertising.

      KFG
      • Just in case you were serious: come on, man. This is Warner not Mother Tereza. They don't hold hands and chant in the CEO's office.

        Since there's this little complication about them having to make money to survive, grow..etc maybe it's not too harsh that they gave out every video in their archive in exchange for a little advertising.

        Heck, maybe now I'll even look at the ads.
    • What about Fox? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Lord Prox ( 521892 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:52AM (#16129221) Homepage
      If I understand right, Fox bought Myspace and YouTube, or Myspace bought YouTube and Fox bought Myspace or some damn thing. Point is, what is Fox going to do with its collection of media. Follow the lead of Warner I hope. And why did Warner deal with YouTube instead of rolling out it's own service (lots of eyeballs good for media companies) [getdemocracy.com] or partnering with Google's video service or buy something like Blip.tv [blip.tv].
      [tinfoil hat]I think something might be going on here[/tinfoil hat]
      Yeah, I know it's Warner music and Fox is mostly non music, but still they have gots ons of stuff rotting away in vaults somewhere, you would think earning something from it would be easier than trying to sue/arrest/pester/etc. people for distributing stuff no longer on the air.



      Get a curse for your web site [i-curse.com]
      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by yankeessuck ( 644423 )
        Fox bought Myspace. YouTube is still independent IIRC. In the short term, partnering with YouTube actually makes a lot of sense for Warner because it probably costs them a lot less to digitize their video collection than it would take to roll out a new service or buy out another site. Even if they were to have their own site, they'd be fighting an uphill battle to steal eyeballs from YouTube.
      • by Ahnteis ( 746045 )
        >>And why did Warner deal with YouTube instead of rolling out it's own service

        Free advertising, no bandwidth bills? :P
    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      by tehwebguy ( 860335 )
      finally! THOSE SUCKERS!

      now it's time to find every warner music video on youtube and rip out the audio, now i'll never have to buy a warner CD again!

      lol...
    • Re:Initiative (Score:4, Informative)

      by glesga_kiss ( 596639 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @10:06AM (#16129719)
      There are two solutions to the internet dilema for old media companies:
      1. How do we stop/control it?
      2. How do we make money of it?

      Looks like Warner are the first one to pick the correct grail. Universal choose poorly and will melt in some cheesy 80's special effects. The video is on YouTube aparently...

      • I'm sure Universal will melt away, now that they can't rely on the massive profits from the profit-sharing of Google Ads.

        If this proves to be a viable business opportunity, there's no reason Univeral can't change their mind later. At this time, they don't see the profit behind it. It's their videos and their decision, and they have spent a great deal more time and expertise anaylzing the issue than a bunch of Slashdot dittoheads.

      • The question is always #2. The "incorrect" answer is #1.
    • But, who the fuck watches music videos anyway? I doubt it's even possible to give them away. Perhaps the plan is to somehow get people to pay a fee, so they can avoid seeing the videos?
      • by mgblst ( 80109 )
        If you get the right music video, it is a small step away from soft porn. Sure, this may be the least favourite type of porn, but it is the one you can get away with at work.
  • by Colin Smith ( 2679 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:34AM (#16129130)
    In which case I'd expect them to be very keen for youtube to distribute them.

     
  • by crazyjeremy ( 857410 ) * on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:37AM (#16129144) Homepage Journal
    Ahh yes, I can just see all the videos now that the 16 year old video nuts recut Madonna videos and make her do things offensive.
    It will also allow YouTube to remove user-generated clips based on Warner material that the company deems offensive.
    Madonna would NEVER do anything offensive.
    • by forgotten_my_nick ( 802929 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @09:13AM (#16129327)
      They don't remove offensive clips. They generally just hide them with a warning.

      Take this for example (unless you work in a korean office your probably safe enough)...
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jo0jxwXrAU [youtube.com]

      I flagged it as offensive as its a porn advert, instead they left it and now it just asks to verify your age.
      • by Mongoose ( 8480 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @10:30AM (#16129880) Homepage
        I find it more interesting that clip dug up views about:
          Korean morality ( Those stuffy Christians over there shouldn't have fetishes! )
          Racism ( I won't even repeat the claims. )
          etc

        The fun part is youtube has more and more non-english content. I've started to notice Flicker has several Japanese only comments too. I remember when "we lost Orkut" happened, and everyone should know why that happened. Orkut was a closed invite system. The population that invited the most could reach a critical mass with their language, and drown out the rest. Thankfully these newer web sites are open, so you can see various languages mixing. I find it refreshing to see several languages in one thread, and translations for the non native speakers of the videos / photos.
         
        • The reason theres so much content on Youtube from Japan specifically is because even posting a picture of a celebrity with-out thier permission (that YOU took with your own camera!) on the net is a copyright infringement. Youtube has nothing to do with Japan really so they are free & clear of Japanese law for the most part. They do however take down "some" stuff often times when it's requested, but usualy is requested by a US branch of a Japanese corporation, but even then it's still iffy.

          2ch.net (aka
          • 2ch BBS [2ch.net] goes well beyond the realm of "Otaku" in that it has boards for everything, from music to fashion to business, and everything in between. The relatively simple interface allows it to be viewed from cell phones, too. The otaku may be the most prolific, but they're hardly the only audience.

            Like many online communities, they develop their own memes, and even have a "Slashdot effect" of their own; URLs are posted without the leading h to avoid flooding unsuspecting webservers. My favorite board has t
      • It depends on who you offend.

        I posted a great clip of Elizabeth Taylor at the Golden Globe awards - She was in fine form until Dick "Mr Everlast" Clarke had to stick his oar in because he thought she was having trouble (Patronizing bastard)

        I got my first copyright violation over that one.

        Guess who from?

        Dick Clarke Productions.

        Hmmm...I wonder if Cleopatra minded? (if you ever find it, just listen to the way she says "Gladiator"*. Or go watch that movie that she was in again....ummm, what was it called, tip o
    • Oh Wait,

      1. Shock(!!!); especially while offending established institutions that provide many with much comfort in their droll day-to-day lives.

      2. Reap global media exposure as a result.

      3. Profit$$$!

      There's nothing like cornering a niche market; that few others will choose for themselves. But then there's always the question of... what's next?

      Thank goodness for the time-shifting technologies available to manage the mass media; let her flutter for those that have c
    • by kabocox ( 199019 )
      Ahh yes, I can just see all the videos now that the 16 year old video nuts recut Madonna videos and make her do things offensive.
              It will also allow YouTube to remove user-generated clips based on Warner material that the company deems offensive.
      Madonna would NEVER do anything offensive.


      Um, how would tell its a user generated offensive video and not just an original offensive video?
  • by javaObject ( 630986 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:40AM (#16129159)
    ... one giant leap for musickind.
  • At last... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by arun_s ( 877518 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:45AM (#16129186) Homepage Journal
    An article on YRO that's actually a positive piece of news.
    Outside, the pigs are flying.
  • Rod Serling must be rolling over in his grave.

  • by 99luftballon ( 838486 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:50AM (#16129209)
    This could be a major step change in the way media companies handle the internet. Holding onto copyright and soaking consumers each time the formats change has been lucrative for a while now but it's as obsolete a business model as buying caned food and then using the shop's [ideafinder.com]can opener to get at it before taking the cans home. After failing to produce a DRM system that works, failing to stop the tide of piracy with law suits and faced with falling sales Warner is making the smart move and getting what money it can. More power to their elbow.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Tim C ( 15259 )
      It's a nice step in the right direction, but remember one thing: music videos are supposed to be adverts for the artists and songs that they feature.
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by MsGeek ( 162936 )
      Now if only Warner Bros. Pictures would stop throwing hissy fits about classic WB cartoon shorts [wikipedia.org] that have entered the public domain showing up on YouTube. Almost every Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoon short made before 1948 entered the public domain because of copyright technicalities not followed by Associated Artists Productions in the 1950s. However, Time-Warner raised a ruckus about their presence on the site, and YouTube pulled all of them. Copyright has been renewed on the versions of the shorts
    • A company that gives away their shit for free is one that "gets it"?
  • by postbigbang ( 761081 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:54AM (#16129227)
    It's almost like a Creative Commons license with a catch. For Warner to agree to this will cause the rest of the media robber barrons to either follow suit or have their catalogs decimated by compared lack of popularity.

    It's not a perfect deal. But it's a huge start. Bravo to the brains that figured this one out. It's a huge first step.
    • The music industry over the past half dozen or so years is coming to grips with media downloading via the internet. The Music Industry created the RIAA, which initially had some minor bottom line success; Daily news reports are starting to paint different picture. I see no reason that the trends of the music industry will change; Well, except one. WB's income will be positively effected by the outcome of the interfacing with the YouTube folks. I believe that the others, Universal, Sony, EMI, and BMG wil
      • and this has a chance. Sure, we'd all like TV without the commercials (get TiVo) or watch movies at a theatre without commercials (good luck, try art films) or other means where content can be free. It can be free. But let's say you control a huge asset-returning portfolio of investments and need a method to spread content but not rob investors or artists. This is one (albeit rudimentary and immature) model. And it's a bold first step. More will come. Then it'll get better. Music can be free. But the britt
  • Simply not true (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    True North Records [youtube.com] has been uploading many videos, with more coming. Warner is not the first.
    • While I do value footage from the Ottawa Tulipfest, there's a world of difference between an indy label posting all of its videos in the hopes of somebody noticing their artists exist and a major label, part of a cabal that has been fighting digital distribution for years, breaking down and finally realizing that putting their 3-4 minute advertisements in front of millions might actually help them rather than hurt them.

      So, while it is not true that Warner is the first music label ever to post vids to YouTub
  • by PrescriptionWarning ( 932687 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @08:57AM (#16129241)
    Will it be the kind that Firefox+Adblock can block :)

    or will it be the kind that annoys you for 30 seconds at the beginning of each clip :(
    • I'm afraid it will be the latter. But now it's a matter of how much every user will be annoyed. Some people (including me) will find it OK.
    • Will it be the kind that Firefox+Adblock can block :) or will it be the kind that annoys you for 30 seconds at the beginning of each clip :(

      And if so, how long until someone writes a little app to automagically skip the first 30 seconds of a video by default :D

  • "Warner and YouTube will share advertising revenue sold in connection with the video content."
    So Youtube we have these trucks. Trucks you say?
    Yeh trucks. What's in these trucks?
    What do you want, I recommend The Chilly Peppers combo of Harry and 19 year old super models.
  • So, if Universal will still have its way, this is just an empty gesture (since prompt removal won't be enough for them).
    • This is exactly how information is meant to be -- free!

      Unfortunately, some upcoming artists won't be able to reap the fruits of their labor -- I think more and more of them will sign up with Universal, or alternatively group up and form their own studios.
  • ... Puppies! Sorry, this story has stunned my mind so much my IQ has been temporarily lowered by many points and that's the best I could come up with.
  • Could this be bad? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Rob T Firefly ( 844560 ) on Monday September 18, 2006 @10:11AM (#16129747) Homepage Journal
    I don't want to crap in anyone's Monday morning cornflakes, but could this possibly have negative impacts on Youtube as we know it? It's fairly easy to extract the FLV file from Youtube's streaming player, I think there's even a Firefox plugin. The FLV can then be converted to whatever clean video format you like, and archived for offline use. If Warner gets tied up with Youtube will they be okay with that, or will they perhaps force Youtube to "upgrade" to something with DRM?
    • by Zarxrax ( 652423 )
      It seems that they will allow people to "remix" the videos, so in that case it wouldn't really make much sense to DRM it. And besides, the video quality on youtube is absolute crap, it's not like they are protecting a high definition music video on a Blu-Ray disc.
      • It seems that they will allow people to "remix" the videos, so in that case it wouldn't really make much sense to DRM it. And besides, the video quality on youtube is absolute crap, it's not like they are protecting a high definition music video on a Blu-Ray disc.

        Will we be able to "remix" the clips by downloading them and running them through After Effects or whatever other video software we like, allowing people to do everything from put lightsabers in the hands of the Beastie Boys to replacing Madonna's

    • What would be the point? If I want to share a clip with someone I just send them a link instead of a huge file. I have been using youtube for a while now and haven't had the urge to actually 'keep' the file a single time.
      • What would be the point? If I want to share a clip with someone I just send them a link instead of a huge file.


        Keep in mind that not everyone has an internet connection (hispeed or otherwise) permanently connected to their *COUGH*.

        - RG>
        • These people would not be able to download that much, not to mention they wouldn't share it with anyone, at least in a p2p sense.
  • Bah! The only thing I'm interested in is if Warner Bros. would put up their entire library of classic cartoon in all of their *unedited* pureness. Oh, Warner music...
  • Warner is leaving you standing still in the race to embrace the internet.
  • That move makes sense. YouTube gets to offer the content, and in exchange, Warner gets advertisement revenue. It's like TV, really.
  • Must be quaking in their boots.

    Oh, right, nevermind. I'm just showing my age...they never show videos anymore anyway.
  • Warner also giving RIAA the digital finger
  • Warner Music chairman Edgar Bronfman said: "Consumer-empowering destinations like YouTube have created a two-way dialogue that will transform entertainment and media forever."

    Welcome to the Internet.

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