UMG to premiere select music videos on video startup Vessel
Feb 18, 2015 16:51:39 GMT -5
Post by Kurt on Feb 18, 2015 16:51:39 GMT -5
Universal Music Group and new video startup Vessel, helmed by former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar, have announced that Vessel will exclusively premiere select UMG videos, effectively giving early video access to paid subscribers. No word yet on if anything will change on Vevo's end (UMG is a major stakeholder in Vevo, along with Sony Music Entertainment). A portion of the press release follows below:
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DANA POINT, Calif., Feb. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, and Vessel, a premium online video service, announced today an agreement to premiere select UMG videos through Vessel for an exclusive time period before making the content available on free, ad-supported services.
Lucian Grainge, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group, and Jason Kilar, CEO and co-founder of Vessel, made the announcement today in Dana Point, California, at the Code/Media conference hosted by Re/Code.
"Vessel represents the latest business model innovation for premium short-form content and we're pleased to extend our industry-leading track record of empowering entrepreneurs who are growing the playing field for new content services," Grainge said. "Jason and his team recognize the substantial value of the music videos created by our world class roster of artists and have built a platform that promises fans a first-rate experience while providing artists and labels new ways to increase the monetization of their creative work."
"We are excited to work with Lucian and everyone at Universal. Their team has a real gift for finding talented new voices and helping them reach a wider audience through new platforms like Vessel," said Kilar. "It's no secret that consumers love music videos. We look forward to giving Universal artists an amazing new home on Vessel."
The specific artist videos from UMG's labels that will be featured on Vessel's paid tier will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Vessel subscribers receive at least 72 hours of exclusive access to short-form, professionally produced content on mobile devices and the Web for the price of $2.99 a month. During the early access period, videos on Vessel can earn a multiple of 20-times more per-view compared with free, ad-supported online video services.
After the exclusive time period, videos posted on Vessel become available on general ad-supported online services, including Vessel's free, ad-supported offering.
Lucian Grainge, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group, and Jason Kilar, CEO and co-founder of Vessel, made the announcement today in Dana Point, California, at the Code/Media conference hosted by Re/Code.
"Vessel represents the latest business model innovation for premium short-form content and we're pleased to extend our industry-leading track record of empowering entrepreneurs who are growing the playing field for new content services," Grainge said. "Jason and his team recognize the substantial value of the music videos created by our world class roster of artists and have built a platform that promises fans a first-rate experience while providing artists and labels new ways to increase the monetization of their creative work."
"We are excited to work with Lucian and everyone at Universal. Their team has a real gift for finding talented new voices and helping them reach a wider audience through new platforms like Vessel," said Kilar. "It's no secret that consumers love music videos. We look forward to giving Universal artists an amazing new home on Vessel."
The specific artist videos from UMG's labels that will be featured on Vessel's paid tier will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Vessel subscribers receive at least 72 hours of exclusive access to short-form, professionally produced content on mobile devices and the Web for the price of $2.99 a month. During the early access period, videos on Vessel can earn a multiple of 20-times more per-view compared with free, ad-supported online video services.
After the exclusive time period, videos posted on Vessel become available on general ad-supported online services, including Vessel's free, ad-supported offering.
More coverage:
Recode
VideoInk