YouTube Throws Its Hat Into The Ring

Everywhere you click these days it seems there is a link to buy music. YouTube has decided to be no exception to that fast-hardening rule, adding retail links to many of its videos. Partnered with both iTunes and Amazon mp3, “click-to-buy” links are appearing next to videos featuring songs from companies like EMI. Everywhere you click these days it seems there is a link to buy music. YouTube has decided to be no exception to that fast-hardening rule, adding retail links to many of its videos. Partnered with both iTunes and Amazon mp3, “click-to-buy” links are appearing next to videos featuring songs from companies like EMI. Revenue will be shared by YouTube, the retailers and the song owners. This will add to any revenue generated from advertising, YouTube’s sole source of income until now. Through the Content ID system, copyright holders like music publishers or film producers are notified when their content is uploaded by a user. The owner then has the option to leave the video and share in the ad revenue from that page or simply remove the clip.

According to YouTube, this is only the beginning of its ecommerce ventures. Along with the music links, a link to EA’s new video game Spore on Amazon is already active. The Google-owned video titan plans to capitalize on over 300 million monthly visitors to expand into sales of films, tv, books, concert tickets and possibly other media related items. The various links will be placed on the pages of videos somehow related or similar to the retail product. Fully aware of its unique situation, YouTube aims “to help partners across all industries-from music, to film, to print, to TV-offer useful and relevant products to a large, yet targeted audience, and generate additional revenue from their content on YouTube.” The links are ever increasing, though for now only in the United States. As partners and types of product increase, so should global availability.