Vevo has finally arrived after months spent preparing the site for launch. However, its first day was marred by the site going down due to heavy traffic. And there are still questions to be asked over content, an international roll out, and whether the site is actually necessary in the first place.
Vevo Forever
We’ve been following the story of Vevo since it was first mooted a year ago. The idea of a Hulu for music videos was being touted due to the issues YouTube was having trying to secure licensing deals with the record labels.
In April of this year the plans were cemented, with YouTube and Universal being the brains behind the new site. Vevo then named Rio Caraeff as its CEO, other record labels came on board, and the launch was set for December.
And it’s arrived on time, with EMI doing a last minute deal to come on board, leaving Warners as the only major record label still to do so.
Vevo Launch
Vevo launched on Tuesday night with a huge party to celebrate its arrival. Mariah Carey, Adam Lambert, and Lady Gaga were all present, while Bono from U2, who recently streamed a gig live on YouTube, kicked the whole thing off with an over-the-top speech. As is his way.
Vevo is selling itself as a site for the fans but with the record labels in control and able to charge for their content. In effect, they were sick of seeing Google soaking up all the revenue and wanted to do so themselves directly.
In a less than auspicious start to its life, Vevo was either down or very slow to load for most people yesterday. I suppose teething problems are to be expected, and it does mean the traffic is already flowing. However, YouTube seems to cope OK so there’s really no excuses.
Content? Beyond America?
There are questions still hanging over Vevo now that it has launched.
Where’s the content? The number of videos on the site seems pitifully low at present, with the 15,000 or so much less than the number on YouTube or MTV Music.
When will Vevo be available outside of America? The site is at the moment only available to residents of the U.S. and Canada, which frankly comes as no surprise. However, Vevo is promising an international roll out in 2010.
