Old tunes are now big hits online and it's all thanks to the popularity of YouTube. Chris Brown's 2008 RNB track 'Forever' has rocketed up the online charts a year after its debut, where it's currently featuring in the top 5 downloaded songs on ITunes and Amazon's MP3 list.
And the secret of this new found success? A certain wedding clip, that's been watched more than 12 million times.
The new Susan Boyle
Not only has Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz's wedding party clip morphed into the new Susan Boyle on the popular video sharing website (known as JK Wedding), but it's also benefitting Google, the artist and the music company, whose music was used in the wedding clip.
YouTube cashes in on revenue model
According to the official Google Blog, each stakeholder is profit sharing from the ads placed around the video. The more times the video is viewed, the better it gets for everyone involved. The clip publicity alone has lready helped push the song back into people's head and straight up the charts, months after it ran out of puff during it initial release in traditional media.
In the past, music labels have argued that music owned by them and used on YouTube, constituted a breach in copyright. Videos were often taken down, creating a no-win situation for YouTube fans and especially for Google, who have struggled with music and movie studios in the past, as more and more videos uploaded contain some form of copyright.
In 2007, Prince set out to sue YouTube for the unofficial use of his videos on YouTube. It took a meeting of minds to settle the issue, when it was later revealed that Google would seal a deal with some of the biggest music labels in town, including Sony and Universal.
Artists such as Aimee Mann have used the site in recent times to attract YouTube viewers (and create sales) through innovate promotions such as singing contests.
By the end of last year, CNET reported that Universal were seeing millions of dollars profit because of the YouTube deal - a move that's likely to attract other artists to host their music videos on the site.
Money problems
Various reports continue to suggest that Google are battling to keep tabs on YouTube server hosting costs. According to a Washington Post report published earlier in 2009, Google are due to lose as much as $US500 on their investment this year alone.
Even though YouTube might be the second most popular site on the web, the popularity vote hasn't helped Google generate a steady income.
However, there is hope for Google and its prized asset. The success of the 'JK wedding' video serves as a promising future revenue model for YouTube. Not only will fans get to hear their favourite songs online, without the need for more draconian video restrictions, but it's a big win for Google and the music companies who could obviously do with a 'hit' during these tough economic times.