YouTube's big break? Warner Music signs deal

September 18, 2006 | Matt Marshall

Warner Music has agreed to make its library of music videos available to YouTube, and to license its songs to the millions of users who upload their videos to the site.

This could be a huge deal for the San Mateo video sharing start-up. It is the first time that an established record company has agreed to such a deal. YouTube has been shunned in part by fears that YouTube videos have been infringing on copyrights. Universal Music, the largest record company, last week even threatened to sue YouTube.

Warner and YouTube will share advertising revenue sold in connection with the video content. However, there are many unanswered questions. Apparently, Warner has the right to veto the use of some videos, and the revenue share details are uncertain. Royalty fees are also being discussed. More details later today.

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About the Author, Matt Marshall

Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.