Here's an interesting new revenue model for non-commercial file-sharing. Yesterday MySpace and MTV Networks announced a partnership that will allow MySpace users to continue freely sharing their favorite videos and songs in exchange for revenue-generating opportunities on the copyrighted content being shared.
Here's the short version of how it works: Using technology by Auditude, content from MTV Network's channels--MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central--will be identified by its audio and video "fingerprint." Auditude then allows the addition of a video overlay to the content, showing users where to buy or view full versions of the content as well as ads for related goods or services.
This is similar to YouTube's "click to buy" feature except that the MySpace/MTV/Auditude solution is--for lack of a better term--way, way cooler.
Under click to buy, YouTube works with companies to provide links to products or services related to the video. That's a good first step, but since the links only appear below the official video posted by the partner, it doesn't fix the problem of non-commercial but technically illegal use of copyrighted content by your average YouTube users. If you make your own music video for your favorite song, the songwriter doesn't get anything, and your video will probably get yanked when the music label spots it.
Auditude, on the other hand, seeks out the copyrighted content, whether it's officially posted by the network or posted by a user. I can put a funny clip from the Colbert Report on my MySpace profile to share it with my friends, Auditude can sniff it out and add links to buy or watch the whole episode, and MTV Networks gets the traffic or revenue generated by the links. Auditude also has the very cool benefit of detailed analytics. As RWW explains it:
With Auditude ads - and the analytics to monitor them - MTV Networks can build a mini-Nielsen-esque view into how their content is being used on MySpace. They'll be able to see any number of interesting metrics and trends. Who is uploading content? Which shows get posted most? Which shows get watched most? What are the demographics of the people posting the shows? Which users are getting the most click-throughs?
This is a win-win-win situation. MySpace wins because its product retains its value to its users--in fact, it may prove that MySpace becomes even more valuable to its users. Users win because they get to continue sharing files in a non-commercial manner. And MTV wins because it captures revenue for its content that otherwise wouldn't have existed and gets information about the people consuming its content.
Leave a comment