15 posts and columns on Universal Music

Warner Music Still Pining for Google. But What About Spotify?

in Media on November 17, 2010 at 7:00 am PT

That Google Music launch doesn’t look like it’s on the table for this year. Meanwhile Spotify is getting very close to a yea-or-nay decision on a 2010 U.S. debut….

Index, Union Square Like SoundCloud's Web-Based Tune

in Media on October 15, 2010 at 9:25 am PT

Here’s another bet on Web-based music: SoundCloud, a start-up that makes it easy to share streaming music, is about to land a funding round from high-profile investors.

Sony Raises the Curtain on Ariama, Its Classical iTunes

in Media on October 4, 2010 at 9:02 pm PT

Want your classical music on your iPhone, now? Sony Music is thinking about you: The label has opened up Ariama, the all-classical online store we told you about last summer.

Google Loses a Round in Italian Court: Will YouTube Have to Pay Up?

in Media on December 16, 2009 at 2:11 pm PT

Here’s the problem with running the world’s biggest video site: It exposes you to legal fights all over the world. And Google appears to have lost a tussle in Italian court today. Mediaset, a commercial broadcaster controlled by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has won a copyright ruling, and a Rome court has ordered YouTube to remove all of Mediaset’s content from the site. The broadcaster is reportedly looking for at least $730 million in damages.

Vevo Gets Its Investor: Abu Dhabi Media Joins “Hulu for Music Videos”

in Media on October 19, 2009 at 4:17 am PT

Vevo, the music industry’s version of Hulu, now has its own version of Providence Equity, the outside investor that took a flyer on the Web TV and movie joint venture: Abu Dhabi Media Company has purchased a stake in the company from owners Universal Music and Sony. No financials released, though I’m told the deal values the JV at $300 million.
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Look Who’s Selling Warner Music’s Videos on YouTube: Veoh’s Sales Team

in Media on October 8, 2009 at 8:18 am PT

Last month, Warner Music Group won the right to sell ads on its YouTube videos. Next step: Getting someone to sell ads on its YouTube videos, since the music label doesn’t have its own sales team. The plan: Hand those duties over to someone who’s already doing it for Veoh and other video outfits.
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Publishers Like Time Inc.’s “Hulu for Magazines” Pitch. What Will Apple and Amazon Say?

in Media on October 2, 2009 at 6:32 am PT

Time Inc. has spent the past few months convincing other publishers to join a new joint venture aimed at a market that doesn’t really exist yet–magazine-like publications to be delivered via e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s rumored tablet. Publishers like the idea. What will Apple and Amazon say?
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Big Music Label Foe LimeWire’s Newest Executive: A Big Music Label Veteran

in Media on June 29, 2009 at 11:40 am PT

What do you do when your job working for a big music label disappears? You go to work for a pirate-friendly file-sharing service that’s being sued by the big music labels.
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Sony Joins Vevo, Universal’s “Hulu For Music Videos”

in Media on June 4, 2009 at 2:02 pm PT

Vevo, the “Hulu For Music Videos” site that Universal Music is launching with YouTube, just got a little more Hulu-like: Sony has signed on. I’m told that Sony will contribute cash and its library of music videos and will become an equity partner in the site, which until now has been wholly owned unit of UMG. Sony had already signed a deal with Google earlier this year to keep its music on YouTube, so I’m not sure what that means. More in a bit.

When PDFs Attack

in News on February 20, 2009 at 11:00 am PT

U2: The Unforgettable Embarrassment

in News, February 20, 2009 at 7:35 am PT

Internet Explorer's Extreme Makeover

in News, August 28, 2008 at 11:00 am PT

Internet Explorer’s Extreme Makeover

in News, August 28, 2008 at 11:00 am PT