VEVO Launches Brand-Sponsored Featurette Series, Charging Up the Music

At the most recent Billboard Music and Money Symposium, VEVO CEO Rio Caraeff announced during a keynote address that VEVO was in the process of working with brand partners to develop artist-driven original content for his site.

This week, Caraeff’s dreams finally become a reality. A shiny, minty, fluoridated, fresh-all-day reality.

Yesterday, VEVO announced the recent launch with Colgate-Palmolive (they make floor wax and toothpaste!) of Charging Up the Music, a series of featurettes intended to give people “an intimate and exclusive introduction to five of music’s hottest rising stars.”

Judging by the content available so far, the series is one for two. The exclusivity part they’ve obviously got figured out, but on the intimacy spectrum, the featurettes fall somewhere between Press Kit Fare and Quotes Written By an Artist’s Manager.

Austrlian guitarist (and now would-be pop star) Orianthi

But it’s also the start of something larger. During his keynote address, Caraeff cited the Black-Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga’s success with brand placement in their videos before going on to make this broader, more illuminating statement: “Commercials are the content of tomorrow.

“The idea of music videos as commercial goods is barely five years old,” he continued, and while it’s entirely possible that this concept will be deployed more creatively as it filters down the economic food chain, it’s important to remember that artists must remain wary of opportunities being offered by sponsors.

Retaining control of your creative space is one thing. But if you’re offered the chance to get plugged into a formulaic, disinfected campaign that basically just shows you off, odds are you should probably stay away.