Do We Really Need a Hulu for Music Videos?
Hot on the heels of Warner’s deal with Google going sour comes a rumor that Warner, together with Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal Music Group, are in talks to create their own video portal dedicated to music videos; something akin to a Hulu for music.
I’ve said it many times, I’ll say it again: as long as copyright laws prevent such content from being shown internationally (and not only to users in the USA), I’ll consider these types of projects crap. Especially when it comes to music videos, which are little more than promotional vehicles for the music itself.
If I can’t even see the video for a new single on some record - simply because I live somewhere other than the USA - I’ll conclude that the music labels consider me a second degree user and I’m not going to bother paying for that same record. I know that this doesn’t seem particularly relevant to users who can freely enjoy the content, but trust me, there’s a lot of us out there who are simply getting angrier every time we hear of a really cool new video site that doesn’t work for us.