COPYCENSE

"Amid pressure from the Universal Music Group, America Online has struck a deal to pay for the use of Universal’s music video libraries for its online service, people involved in the deal said.

"The licensing agreement, expected to be announced today, sets a potentially lucrative precedent for the music industry in the evolution of online and video-on-demand business. The major record companies have been trying to avoid a repeat of what they think was a costly error in the early 1980’s, when they agreed to provide videos free to a fledgling MTV."

Jeff Leeds. AOL Said to Reach Deal to Use Universal Videos. The New York Times. April 19, 2005.

See also:
Chris Marlowe. Music Vids Get Free Rein at AOL Music. Reuters. April 19, 2005.

(Editor’s Note: The Times allows free access to their stories on the Web for seven days before sending the stories to the paper’s fee-based Archive.)

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