• by Tameka Kee , June 1, 2007

Google's YouTube now has official partnerships with all four major record companies--as EMI Music has finally signed on to grant users access to premium audio and video content from its roster of artists.

YouTube users will be able to watch videos from EMI artists such as David Bowie and Corinne Bailey Rae, in addition to creating new content, such as "mashups," that feature the copyrighted audio and video works. YouTube also has the option of using the content for specially branded channels; it has a business model in development for the all-important "monetization" factor.

Neither company would comment on specific financial details, but "artists, along with the label and YouTube, will be compensated based on a revenue share model against advertising on the site," said Chris Maxcy, business development director, YouTube.

"The content management tools that YouTube has developed will allow us to track, report and monitor the use of our copyrighted material, in a way that helps us determine how to fairly compensate our artists," added Jeanne Meyer, senior vice president, corporate communications, EMI.

Universal, Sony BMG, and Warner all cut deals with YouTube shortly before its acquisition by Google seven months ago. While EMI never formally commented on why it chose to hold out, the new partnership seems in line with the company's recent digital music moves.

In April, EMI announced its intention to offer DRM-free, superior quality music downloads, and just days ago, Apple's iTunes store started selling the first of these AAC format tracks. EMI has since made deals with multiple European retail partners, including VirginMega in France, and signed on as the first major music company partner to deliver DRM-free tracks to Amazon.com's as-yet-unlaunched digital music store in the U.S.

"DRM-free downloads are a consumer-friendly initiative," said EMI's Meyer. "Users want to play their music purchase on any device in a very seamless way, and this facilitates that." EMI recognized that this desire for instant access to premium content didn't end with audio--hence the partnership with YouTube.