Warner Music partners with MTV-alternative Launch

Internet video streaming company Launch Media has signed its third deal with a major content supplier, adding nearly 10,000 titles from Warner Music's video catalogue to its stock of 1200 titles from Sony and EMI. The deal comes as all the 'big five' record labels -- Warner, Sony, EMI, Bertelsmann Music Group and Universal -- attempt to cash in on the new medium, primarily for music distribution. Launch CEO Dave Goldberg said: "The labels have a vested interest in making sure we are successful. We are really the only true counterweight to MTV on the Internet. The last thing the labels want to see is MTV having a monopoly on the Internet, as they've had on television." True, but they also want to explore ways and means of exploiting their video content resources themselves, and by partnering with companies like Launch, they effectively get to pilot video channels of their own, free of charge. In fact, it's better than free -- Sony, EMI and Warner all share Launch's advertising revenues and have equity positions in the company. ®