MUZU was an online music video site offering a catalog of online music videos licensed from record labels, which generated revenue through advertising services.[citation needed]
On 22 October 2015, the company revealed that it would be liquidated.[2]
EMI signed a deal on 16 January 2009 which permitted the website to feature more than 5,000 videos.[6] On 19 January 2009, it was announced that Beggars Group had signed.[7] On 27 January 2009, Cooking Vinyl announced it had signed a global deal, with its founder commenting that MUZU TV was "purpose-built for the music industry and we believe it holds great revenue potential".[8][9] On 21 July 2009, it was announced that Merlin Network, which had previously refused both MySpace and YouTube, had signed.[10] Announced on 25 January 2010 were deals with AOL Music, Bebo and the Telegraph Media Group.[11] In January 2010, MUZU agreed to provide them with access to its video library in exchange for a share of advertising revenue. At the time, MUZU also provided a legal music service, and had signed deals with Irish Independent, Communicorp, Spinner UK, Drowned In Sound, Habbo Hotel, Virtual Festivals, Mama Group, Meanfiddler, and the Fly Magazine.[12] The Samsung Group said in January 2010 it would allow the development of a MUZU app for its televisions.[13] In February 2010, MUZU's new jukebox music video feature faced competition from an almost identical feature released by YouTube.[14] In 2011, MUZU's music video collection was made available on Metacafe.[15] In November 2011, Sony started offering MUZU videos through its Sony Entertainment Network on several home entertainment devices.[16] The MUZU.TV app became available on Xbox 360s in December 2011.[17]
In 2013, the catalogue of music videos, concerts, interviews, and music documentaries stood at 130,000. It claimed at the time to have the "largest legal catalogue of music videos available on the web licensed by major record labels and the independent sector."[citation needed] That year it partnered with Last.fm for "scrobbling."[18] MUZU began making a profit in late 2013, with backing by Bill McCabe.[19] In 2014, MUZU and The Guardian were recordings bands such as Klaxons for a live series.[20] After struggling to pay rightsholders for some time, MUZU announced it was shutting down in October of 2015.[citation needed]
Awards
The Irish Internet Association named Bollard and French as the 2009 Net Visionaries.[10] IIA Chair Maeve Kneafsey announced the winner at a ceremony on 21 May 2009 by describing the website as "an inspiration to the current and future generations of internet entrepreneurs who know that the internet means that there are no boundaries on what we can do in Ireland, the only limit being our imagination".[21] Bollard and French spoke at the Dublin Web Summit on internet business in Trinity College Dublin on 4 February 2010.[22]
References
^"MUZU TV goes live with music videos old and new". Hot Press. 16 July 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2010. MUZU TV, an online video streaming service which allows bands and labels to share in advertising money, has officially gone live from its studios on South William St.
^Ciara O'Brien (25 January 2010). "Muzu.tv signs lucrative new deals". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 March 2010. The company, which provides a legal music service, has also signed agreements with the Irish Independent, Communicorp, Spinner UK, Drowned in Sound, Habbo Hotel, Virtual Festivals, Mama Group, Meanfiddler, and The Fly Magazine
