Various members of the media industry have been told about discussions between Apple and major music companies about licensing music videos.
Soon, the iPod may be able to do something regularly that MTV doesn’t: play actual music videos.
The topic, which was quickly waved away by Apple with the computer industry standard “no comment on rumors and speculation” line, has gathered some steam. Should Apple make such a device available by September, or even before the holiday shopping season, it’s likely to contain chips from either new partner Intel or licensee Broadcom.
According to a Wall Street Journal account of Apple’s discussions, the Cupertino-based tech company has been talking to Warner, EMI, Vivendi Universal, and Sony BMG. Videos made available through iTunes would sell for $1.99 each.
While Apple’s CEO has been derisive about feature-length movies on small screens, he hasn’t criticized other possible video content. Small screen movies may have some appeal, as Sony and its PlayStation Portable have a number of titles available in UMD format for the new gaming gadget.
Movies could be next for the video iPod, in that they at least haven’t been ruled out by Mr. Jobs’s in his CEO role for Pixar. He told analysts in May that Pixar and distribution partner Disney have discussed the possibility of offering movies for portable video players.
Rights issues regarding movies and television will be a bigger hurdle than any technology problems when it comes to making other content available for portable video devices. But music videos shouldn’t have too much of a problem making it to iTunes.
The music companies would love to have another stream of revenue, to help offset what may be disappointing sales of a CD by a given artist who may have an appealing video.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
