Stepping Out of YouTube's Shadow

Erik Huggers wants to make Vevo the top destination for online music videos. First he needs to outsmart the king of digital video.

- Shelby Carpenter

For Erik Huggers the giant signs outside his office building are a grating reminder of what he’s up against. The Market Street tower in San Francisco advertises its other illustrious startup tenants, Uber and Square. But Vevo, whose sprawling offices offer sweeping views of the city from the 21st floor, doesn’t rate a mention. Huggers believes Vevo deserves a spot among the marquee names of the digital era. After all, its music videos are watched by millions of fans every day. But the Vevo brand languishes in obscurity. And as CEO, Huggers is on a mission to transform his company from You- Tube’s under appreciated business partner into a top streaming platform in its own right.

Vevo, the majority of which is owned by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, two of the “big three” music labels, is trying to do for the mobile era what MTV did for TV: be the premium destination for music videos from popular and up-and coming artists. Already many of the videos it distributes—on Vevo-branded channels on YouTube and also on Vevo.com—are among the most popular anywhere. “Hello,” by Adele, for example, has been viewed 1.7 billion times on YouTube, making it the sixth most-watched video ever on that site. Justin- Bieber VEVO, the artist’s YouTube channel, is the site’s third most popular. And that’s precisely the challenge. Most viewing of Vevo clips takes place on YouTube, not on Vevo.com or the company’s mobile app, and music fans barely register the white Vevo logo on the bottom right corner of the screen.