In a time where the pricing and distribution of online music and video is the object of a fair amount of scrutiny, there are companies looking for alternatives that will make the arguments null and void. The European divisions of AOL have and EMI announced an deal offering streaming music videos through an ad-supported model.
The agreement, which will encompass the UK, French and German markets, enables users to stream music videos free-of-charge through the AOL Europe service. All new releases will be available for music fans to stream, as well as music videos from EMI Music’s back catalogue.
EMI Music will also benefit from closer links with the AOL editorial team, with additional exposure for EMI’s artists via promotional activity such as “Artist of the Month” and “Breakers.” Exclusive “AOL Sessions” are also planned, with all recordings to be made available for AOL users to stream.
Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae, Norah Jones and Lily Allen are just a few of the EMI artists whose content will be freely available as a result of the partnership.
Mike McMahon, senior vice president of commercial and digital media, EMI Music UK, comments on the agreement, “EMI Music is delighted to reach an agreement with AOL Europe to provide video streams to its users. We believe that the agreement creates greater scope to promote and profile new artists as well as established acts to AOL users, while at the same time ensuring that EMI and its artists are fairly compensated for their work.”
Chris Kennedy, chief financial officer, EMI Music International, said, “The advertising-funded model is one that really appeals to a cross-section of music fans, and we’re pleased to be able to link with AOL across Europe to offer consumers another way to engage with the music and videos of our artists.”
Dana Dunne, CEO of AOL Europe, said: “One of the cornerstones of AOL’s new business strategy is to offer world-class, compelling online entertainment to all consumers on the web.
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Joe is a staff writer for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest ebusiness news.
