Crippled Videos: Major Labels Still Not Getting It

Filed in archive Commentary , Major Labels , Marketing on February 19, 2007

Suretone Records, a Universal Music Group label, will distribute videos of top and new artists on the P2P file sharing networks. The files will not be secured and can be freely and legally downloaded and shared. Independent labels and artists have been doing this for years.

The files will be distributed by MediaDefender, a unit of ArtistDirect. MediaDefener is primarily known for planting bogus music files on the P2P networks. These videos aren't that much different.

The news is that the labels can't even get promotional videos right. There's a catch. While the files won't have DRM, they will only be partial files. The file only plays part of the video and then directs the viewer to a web site to see the full version with advertising.

Who are they fooling? These aren't even the songs themselves. They are videos that are typically promotional and available free anyway. And Suretone and UMG can't make them available without butchering them.

They could have taken a real step forward by respecting music fans and leveraging the power of P2P distribution. Instead they deceive consumers by giving them only part of the video. Such deception will only continue to fuel consumer resentment of the major labels.