Universal & Kyte
Universal continues to make headlines with some innovative new approaches for the music industry. These include initiatives both in the international realm and in the digital realm. Their most recent announcement is a deal signed with the media platform company Kyte.
Kyte allows companies (and in this case artists) to upload content in real time to a central location. For instance, if a band is on the road and they are cutting up and having a good time on their tour bus, they can record a video clip of the fun on a Kyte-enabled Nokia phone, and immediately upload the content to their website. Kyte is basically the middleman then between the user’s phone and the website. In the past, bands might upload a video to YouTube, a song to MySpace, and a blog to Blogger. Now, they will be able to do everything through Kyte and have all of the content go directly to their website.
Universal has stated that the deal will be a worldwide agreement and will make all Universal Music Group labels and artists “to be working with the Kyte system in order to publish Kyte channels based on their brands to their fans and communities,” according to Rio Caraeff, exec VP of eLabs, UMG’s business digital division.
He goes on to say:
“We’re using Kyte to allow artists an easy and convenient way to create new video of what goes on in their lives – backstage, at the gym, in the studio, in their living rooms. It allows them to be creative and contribute that content in real time into their own channels. This way fans can have more deeper, intimate access to the artists they care about.”
These days, artists have a strong incentive to deliver updated and somewhat personal content online. This creates a strong bond with fans. When I am really interested in a band, I want to know everything about them. I am very curious about their song-writing process. I enjoy seeing content for a band that shows the band recording or writing a song.
This seems like a great deal on Universal’s part and shows that they are actually beginning to better understand the digital scope of an artist’s presence.
Stay tuned,
Erik
erikrostad.com 
