EMI deal completes YouTube's record label collection

By Simon Aughton

Posted on 1 Jun 2007 at 12:45

YouTube is now free to play music videos from the likes of Coldplay and David Bowie after signing an agreement with EMI. The video sharing website now has licensing deals with all four major record companies.

EMI had delayed signing up until satisfied by YouTube that adequate safeguards were in place to prevent videos being downloaded and copied. The record company will use YouTube's content identification and reporting system to 'track and monetise its content and compensate its artists', it said. In other words the two companies will share advertising revenues from pages hosting EMI content.

'Working with YouTube under this agreement meets EMI's objectives to offer consumers the best possible entertainment experiences, to create new ways to connect our artists to fans and to enter into innovative business models that will generate revenues for our business and our creator,' EMI chief executive Eric Nicoli explained.

YouTube and its owner Google will work with EMI, it says, to develop business models for the YouTube community to access user generated 'mash-up' content featuring EMI-owned and copyrighted audio and video works.