Last.fm to Feature Thousands of Videos Free-On-Demand from UMG
Chart-topping Artists Including Jay-Z, Nirvana and Amy Winehouse, Among
Many Others
NEW YORK, June 17 -- Universal Music Group, the world's
leading music company, and Last.fm, the fast-growing free global music Web
site, today announced a new partnership that will make UMG's music video
catalogue available for free-on-demand streaming to users of Last.fm. The
deal, which marks Last.fm's first major video partnership, will bring
thousands of high-quality music videos to the Last.fm community. As part of
this agreement, Universal Music and its artists will receive revenue for
every UMG video streamed.
Starting today, Last.fm users will be able to view thousands of
full-length music videos from UMG's market-leading catalogue of
chart-topping artists, which includes Jay-Z, Nirvana, Amy Winehouse, The
Killers, Duffy, Snow Patrol and Kanye West, among many others. The latest
UMG videos can be found on Last.fm at
http://www.last.fm/music/+charts/video.
The addition of UMG content provides a massive boost to Last.fm's
unrivaled online music video offering which launched last year.
Additionally, Last.fm's scrobbling technology will help users engage with
the UMG content in a more personalised manner by recommending new videos
according to users' individual music taste.
Martin Stiksel, Last.fm co-founder, said: "This is a hugely empowering
partnership that really takes Last.fm to the next level. We want to offer a
video library that rivals our unparalleled music catalogue, as we work
towards Last.fm becoming the only place you need to go to for all
music-related content, and this deal marks the first step towards that
goal. Universal Music has the richest and most extensive music video
collection in the world, and the addition of that content to Last.fm brings
us closer to being able to offer the most rewarding personalised music
video experience for music fans anywhere."
Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, Universal Music Group
International, commented, "Our relationship with Last.fm is evolving. The
use of Universal Music videos on the Last.fm platform is a great
opportunity for both consumers and artists, with the latter earning
revenues from every video played on the service. Video streaming services
are an increasingly important source of income, and it's great to have
another new partner on board, tapping into this rich revenue stream."
The Universal video content will be ad-supported, in the same manner as
Last.fm's pioneering free-on-demand service which launched in January. As
part of the FOD offering, artists, labels and copyright holders receive a
share of revenue from the ads displayed next to their content. In its first
month offering UMG videos, Last.fm will be marking the partnership by
highlighting the Universal video catalogue exclusively on the site.
About Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly
owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also
include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global
music publishing operation.
Universal Music Group's record labels include Decca, Deutsche
Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island
Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville,
Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal
Motown Records Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, and
Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or
distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The
Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the
industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular
artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is marketed through two
distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal
Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes
eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising
company; Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division; and
Helter Skelter, its live music agency.
Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and
communications company.
About Last.fm
Founded in 2002, Last.fm is a CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS)
owned free global music platform. Last.fm offers music fans millions of
tracks in every genre for free-on-demand and radio streaming thanks to
partnerships with Universal, EMI, Sony BMG, CD Baby, independent
aggregators The Orchard and IODA, and more than 150,000 independent artists
and labels -- without the need to sign up or download any software. As well
as being able to access tracks for free -- a service which has seen Last.fm
become the fastest-growing free online music network in the U.S. -- music
fans can also share their music preferences by linking their media player
to the Last.fm database. As a result, Last.fm can intelligently recommend
songs, artists, local concerts and even other members based on their
musical tastes. Last.fm also supports unsigned artists by offering them an
unprecedented Artist Royalty program through which they can earn revenue
directly from Last.fm every time their music is streamed. Learn more about
Last.fm at http://www.last.fm.
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