EMI to bring music to Hulu

The UK music company EMI is set to launch a Norah Jones channel on the US online video portal Hulu. All of the singer’s videos will be posted to the site, as well as footage of concerts and interviews. The channel will serve to promote the new album from Jones.

The move marks the first entry of Hulu into the music video domain. So far, the move by EMI is very limited, but it is the intention of the music company to add more artists to the portal if the initial offering is successful.

Because Hulu is a free-to-view service, there is some doubt about the long-term viability of the ad-supported business plan. Music video are already widely available across the net and the music industry is now actively pursuing ideas which will involve some kind of payment for viewing premium music content.

Music will be the main fare on YouTube’s vevo service, which is still set for a launch before the end of the year. A joint venture between Universal Music and YouTube, it aims to be the premier destination site for online music videos. Sony Music Entertainment will take an equity stake in the venture, and talks are ongoing with Warner Music and EMI. Just recently Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has purchased a stake in the company (see Broadband TV News passim).