Forget Apple vs. Tidal… It’s Facebook vs. YouTube

Depending on who you ask, the music business advanced to a higher level with the launch of Apple Music and the webcasting of Beats 1 on June 30. Hold on to your apple seeds and cores as word from the curb reveals that there’s another major player with an “apple in their eye”. Sources claim Facebook is aggressively negotiating a video deal with the major labels about getting into music with a specific goal to pull music video views away from Google’s YouTube.

Facebook reportedly met with decision makers Sony Music. Universal and Warner Music Group, however, the extent to which the social network will get involved is still undetermined. Facebook is said to be looking to sew up licensing deals with the major labels on the pilot program as quickly as possible in order to get its music video trial underway that allows the labels to choose which music videos will actually play. Videos will strategically play in the main news feed of users and further allow Facebook to do what they are known for…….collecting user data to stack their coins..

Facebook is obviously attempting to whittle ad revenue away from Google by offering content creators its own inherent option.

The “gag” in this proposed scenario is the presence of Vevo, a joint venture between Universal Music Group and Sony Music that centralizes each label’s music videos. Vevo is presently mum on the issue, but don’t count on Vevo to take a passive stance.

While You Tube claimed 4 billion views” per day in 1Q of 2015, Facebook claimed over 1 billion videos were watched on the site daily over a 90 day period in the spring/summer of 2014. This number has risen sharply since Facebook launched auto play to the news feed.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the benjamin’s and more than likely the party that does the heavy lifting, will benefit the least and that, will once again be, the artist.

Stay tuned for a follow-up. As Teddy Riley said at the end of Groove Me………It ain’t over!