Google to Distribute Music Videos with AdSense

TMCnet Contributing Editor

Google (News - Alert) is getting ready for a re-entry into video advertising. It’s taking its first steps by joining hands with some of the biggest names in the video industry. Google AdSense ads can now display music clips from Warner Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

During the next four weeks, Google will allow the users to use AdSense in their websites and choose from a selected playlist of songs to play in their web site. These music videos will be accompanied with advertising.

Distributing video clips with AdSense is not new to Google. In August 2006, Google distributed clips of music videos and shows in partnership with MTV in the AdSense of targeted web sites. This time, Google is playing it big by partnering with the likes of Warner Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Also, these music clips will be offered as playlists which the publishers can play on their website. Apart from Sony and Warner music group, there are many other small publishers who are partnering Google in this project. The revenues from the ads will be split between Google, the publisher and the music company. Although Google refused to disclose the exact amount of the split, it disclosed that the ads will be billed on a cost-per-thousand-impressions model.

Whatever the revenue sharing method of Google, this new move from the search engine giant will certainly change the way music videos are marketed online. Instead of the customers going to specific places such as the media company’s website, music videos will now be available all over the Internet. Content owners (music companies) can choose the sites where the music video ads are displayed and extend their reach on the internet.

About Google AdSense

Google AdSense lets the publishers of websites and blogs to display relevant ads on their web pages and earn money when the users click on those ads. Based on the key words and other text in a web page, Google delivers the relevant ads. The AdSense program aims to bring advertisers and users on a common platform to enable relevant information sharing. Before introducing video ads, Google delivered text and image ads on the AdSense.

A web site publisher can earn in two ways with Google AdSense. Google puts relevant CPC (cost-per-click) and CPM (cost per thousand impressions) ads through the same auction, and lets them compete against one another. The auction takes place instantaneously, and, when it’s over, AdSense automatically displays the text or image ad(s) that will generate the maximum revenue for a page - and the maximum revenue for the web site owner.

Since its introduction, AdSense has been dragged in many controversies. It was claimed that the website owners created false traffic to their sites and clicked on the AdSense just to earn revenue. When Google countered this practice with a system that checks for unauthorized clicking, a new practice called “Click Bombing” emerged. People who wanted to cause trouble to their opponent’s website clicked repeatedly on AdSense displayed in the opponent’s website. Google was accused of closing down many such websites when the website owner was totally innocent.

Although AdSense has its share of controversies, it has been an immensely popular device on the internet. Many bloggers who manage to draw huge traffic to their blogs, earn their living just by Google AdSense. Although the number of such people is abysmally low, people still get attracted to AdSense.

Now, with the availability of video ads in AdSense, the craze will only pick up.

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Raju Shanbhag is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.