Vevo Turning Away From Civilians

• As Forbes reports, “Vevo, the YouTube-style video platform owned by most of the major record labels in the music industry, announced last Thursday that it is planning on shuttering its consumer-facing website and its consumer-facing apps. It isn’t clear exactly when these items will be gone, but they are not long for this world… though that’s not to say that Vevo is disappearing or closing as a brand. The company’s content will still be available on YouTube.”

Vevo made the announcement in a blog post on its website, stating, in part, “At Vevo, our objective is to grow the commercial and promotional value of music videos, fostering deep connections between artists and fans. To be most effective in achieving those goals, we will phase out elements of our owned and operated platforms. Going forward, Vevo will remain focused on engaging the biggest audiences and pursuing growth opportunities… We will continue to be the primary seller of Vevo-specific advertising on all distribution platforms — including the sponsorship of video premieres… Vevo will invest in original content including our flagship dscvr and LIFT emerging artist programs, as well as new formats that we plan to roll out shortly.”

TheForbes piece continued, “Since it launched almost a decade ago, Vevo has relied heavily on YouTube to put its content out into the world, but recently, it has been struggling to stand out and become a destination in its own right. Sadly, that didn’t work out, and it’s clear by today’s announcement that its own website and apps likely weren’t as heavily trafficked as Vevo would have liked. Last year, several high-ranking executives departed the company, which was a sign that changes were coming.”