Fresh Prince Gettin' Jiggy Wit HD Video

If YouTube aims to someday host every music video ever made, as co-founder Steve Chen once claimed, it better get crackin’. Because the market’s getting crowded.

This morning PluggedIn Media launched a new service for streaming HD-quality music videos. Backed by Overbrook Entertainment–Will “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” Smith’s production and management company–PluggedIn will offer some 10,000 videos from EMI (EMI.L), Vivendi (VIV.PA) and Sony BMG (SNE), along with the standard music-site fare–artist bios, users playlists and whatnot. That being the case, how does PluggedIn hope to differentiate itself from the competition? “We look at all the changes shaping online entertainment and see massive opportunity for lots of companies to appreciate and forge really viable consumer connections,” said CEO Jeff Somers. “We think what will separate us from what is out there today is an unbelievable high-quality viewing experience, matched with in-depth content and community tools.”

Perhaps. But it will also create dangerous rivalries with some powerful competitors. With its social-networking features, PluggedIn will soon find itself in direct competition with MySpace Music (NWS) as well as Hulu (GE).