Vivendi might License it's Music Catalog
  03/05/2001 9:05:49 PM MST Albuquerque, Nm
  By Dustin D. Brand; Owner AMO

Vivendi to license it's Music Catalog?   The French music giant Vivendi Universal (V) has indicated that it might be willing to do business with the various song-swap services. This announcement comes just days after SONY and Vivendi announced they were building their own Online Music Purchasing Center.

  In comments made to a media conference in London, chairman Jean-Marie Messier said that Universal Music Group, the world's largest record label, would begin licensing music within two months for subscription-based services being developed by the French ISP Wanadoo, Microsoft (MSFT) Network and even others.

  According to Messier, Universal would license its catalogue for online uses through Duet, its joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment, to any number of music services over the coming months. Together, the two majors took in about 40 percent of global record sales in 2000.

  Messier said that the decision to license it's Music catalog to any service, would hinge on two criteria: First, he said, the system "must respect copyright," and second, "the technology must be reasonably secure."

  Messier's comments are an abrupt change of course from two weeks ago, when he indicated that Vivendi Universal had little intention of negotiating with anyone. "I don't believe it is right to give advantage to pirates," he had said.

  Messier outlined his new position before journalists and television and new media executives at the Financial Times New Media and Broadcasting Conference. In his remarks, he said that he expected Vivendi Universal's Internet properties to be profitable within three years.

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