Initially, the service hosted only music videos from UMG and SME, syndicated onYouTube and its app,[8] and the advertising revenue was shared byGoogle and Vevo.[9][10] Originally, WMG was reported to be considering hosting its content on the service after it launched,[11] but formed an alliance with rivalMTV Networks (nowParamount Media Networks).[12] In August 2015, Vevo expressed renewed interest in licensing music from WMG[13] and a deal with WMG was completed on August 2, 2016,[7][14] making again the entirety of the "big three" record companies' music available on Vevo.
Vevo's originalwordmark, used from December 2009 until March 2013Vevo's second logo, used from March 2013 until July 2016
The concept for Vevo was described as being a streaming service for music videos, similar toHulu's streaming service for movies and TV shows after they air. The primary goal was to attract high-end advertisers by offering a premium platform for music videos. Vevo's revenue sources were diverse, including advertisements, a merchandise store, and referral links to purchase viewed songs onAmazon Music andiTunes. On November 20, 2008,UMG acquired the domain name vevo.com, and by June 2009,SME reached a deal to add its content to the site. Vevo officially launched on December 8, 2009, and quickly became the most visited music site in the United States, surpassing Myspace Music.
Despite its early success, Vevo faced significant challenges. In early 2013, manyYouTube videos added by Vevo had their views inflated, and these inflated views were later subtracted, affecting various Vevo channels, includingLady Gaga's. Notable videos affected by this included "Just Dance," which lost more than half of its existing views, as well as "Heartless" and "Toxic." The inflation and subsequent correction of view counts raised questions about the accuracy of Vevo's metrics.
In June 2012, Vevo launched its Certified awards to honor artists whose videos achieved at least 100 million views on Vevo and its partners, including YouTube. These awards highlighted the popularity of Vevo's platform and its influence in the music industry. In 2017, Vevo saw a leadership change when CEOErik Huggers departed, and CFO Alan Price took over as interim CEO.
In April 2018, Vevo's YouTube channel was hacked by two individuals, Prosox and Kuroi'SH, leading to the renaming of many videos and the deletion of the most viewed YouTube video, "Despacito" byLuis Fonsi.
On May 24, 2018, Vevo announced that it was shutting down its consumer website and removing its app from mobile platforms to focus on YouTube syndication. This decision marked a significant shift in Vevo's strategy, as it aimed to leverage YouTube's vast user base and infrastructure to distribute its content. Despite this change, Vevo continues to be available through various apps and devices, including YouTube, DVRs, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices such asRoku.
In October 2020, Vevo partnered with Netherlands-based music video serviceXite to further expand its reach and offerings. This partnership aimed to enhance the user experience by providing a more comprehensive and diverse selection of music videos.
On March 15, 2013, Vevo launchedVevo TV, anInternet television channel running24 hours a day, featuring blocks of music videos and specials. The channel was only available to viewers in North America and Germany, withgeographicalIP address blocking being used to enforce the restriction. Vevo had planned launches in other countries.[15] After revamping its website, Vevo TV later branched off into three separate networks:Hits,Flow (hip hop and R&B), andNashville (country music).[16] Vevo shut down the service during the first half of 2016 as part of a site-wide redesign.[17]
Vevo TV ran on an automated schedule, similar to video-exclusive networks run byParamount Media Networks. Music videos would play twice within an hour and original programming, such asTop 5 Now andVevo Lift, would air several times per day. After rebranding in 2016, Vevo TV was slowly phased out. Vevo's mobile app continued to run the channel until they were relaunched later that year.
Vevo was available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the Philippines, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.[18][19] The website was scheduled to go worldwide in 2010,[20] but as of March 8, 2024, it was still not available outside these countries.[21] Vevo's official blog cited licensing issues for the delay in the worldwide rollout.[22] Most of Vevo's videos on YouTube are viewable by users in other countries, while others will produce the message "The uploader has not made this video available in your country."
The Vevo service in the United Kingdom and Ireland was launched on April 26, 2011.[23] On April 16, 2012, Vevo was launched in Australia and New Zealand by MCM Entertainment. On August 14, 2012, Brazil became the first Latin American country to have the service. It was expected to be launched in six more European and Latin American countries in 2012.[24] Vevo launched in Spain, Italy, and France on November 15, 2012.[25] Vevo launched in the Netherlands on April 3, 2013,[26] and on May 17, 2013, also in Poland.[27] On September 29, 2013, Vevo updated its iOS application that now includes launching in Germany.[28] On April 30, 2014, Vevo was launched in Mexico.[29]
In May 2018, Vevo announced that it would be discontinuing its consumer website and app on mobile platforms in order to focus on YouTube syndication.[31] However, Vevo is still available through various apps and devices including YouTube, DVRs,smart TVs, gaming consoles and streaming devices such as Roku.[32]
Versions of videos on Vevo with explicit content such asprofanity may be edited, according to a company spokesperson, "to keep everything clean for broadcast, 'theMTV version.'"[33] This allows Vevo to make their network more friendly to advertising partners such asMcDonald's.[33] Vevo has stated that it does not have specific policies or alist of words that are forbidden. Some explicit videos are provided with intact versions in addition to the edited version. There is no formal rating system in place, aside from classifying videos as explicit or non-explicit, but discussions are taking place to create a rating system that allows both users and advertisers to choose the level of profanity they are willing to accept.[33]
The24-Hour Vevo Record, commonly referred to as theVevo Record, is the record for the most views a music video associated with Vevo has received within 24 hours of its release. The video that currently holds this record isTaylor Swift's "Me!" with 65.2 million views.[34]
In 2012,Nicki Minaj's "Stupid Hoe" became one of the first Vevo music videos to receive a significant amount of media attention upon its release day, during which it accumulated around 4.8 million views. The record has consistently been kept track of by Vevo ever since. Total views of a video are counted from across all of Vevo's platforms, including YouTube,Yahoo! and other syndication partners.[35] On April 14, 2013,Psy's "Gentleman" unofficially broke the record by reaching 38.4 million views in its first 24 hours.[36] However, Vevo did not acknowledge this record because it was not associated with them until four days after its release to YouTube.[37]
On August 19, 2014, Minaj broke the record with her "Anaconda" video which garnered 19.7 million views. Swift broke the record with "Bad Blood" with 20.1 million views, on May 17, 2015, which was later surpassed byAdele's "Hello", which received 27.7 million views in first 24 hours.
On August 28, 2017, both YouTube and Vevo records were eclipsed by Swift again, with "Look What You Made Me Do", which gained 43.2 million views in 24 hours. On December 1, 2018,Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next" broke the record, accumulating 55.4 million views in 24 hours.[38] Swift then regained the record on April 27, 2019, when her video for "Me!" garnered 65.2 million views in first 24 hours. Swift's channel is the first and only to break the record three times.One Direction,Justin Bieber,Nicki Minaj, andMiley Cyrus, have all broken the record twice (Minaj would have tied Swift if features were included in the count).
TheVevo Certified Award is given from Vevo to artists with over 100 million views on Vevo and its partners (including YouTube) through special features on the Vevo website. It was launched in June 2012.[50]
Artists with 20 or more Vevo Certified music videos. All lead and co-lead appearances are counted towards the artists' total, regardless of the Vevo channel on which it appears. Featured appearances (featuring, feat., ft. etc.) are not counted.
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