Hey! My name is Ben and I’m the Head of Production at VidZone. We are all incredibly excited to launch our new on-demand music video streaming service free on PS3 and PSP (via Remote Play) today at 4pm in Europe; that’s 3pm for blog readers in the UK.
VidZone will be available for free download from PlayStation Store in UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Australia. As well as having access to 1000s of music videos which you can watch whenever you want and fast forward/rewind/pause, and create playlists, I am happy to let you know of some great exclusives for launch in my first post here on SCEE’s PlayStation.Blog.
Ahead of E3 we interviewed ultra cool band, Kasabian and got exclusive access behind the scenes of their new video “Where Did All The Love Go”.
Kasabian on VidZone
Not only do we have exclusive behind the scenes footage, but for launch we are showcasing a WORLD exclusive live version of their Processed Beats video. You will only see the full videos on VidZone.
Oh, and for all who suspect we will be catering for just you pop loving people only… think again! VidZone is launching with over 10,000 music videos, 4,000 artists, 2 Major and thousands of Independent labels, across 12 main genres. You will find all your favourite acts including Metallica, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, System Of A Down, Oasis, The Killers, Kings of Leon, 50 cent, Eminem, Kanye, Jay-Z, Aphex Twin, Rage Against The Machine and Pearl Jam as well as Lady GaGa, Britney, Beyonce, Leona Lewis, Sneaky Sound System, Jamiroquai, Justin Timberlake…and tonnes of dance acts from Ministry of Sound and other huge global stars like Tiesto, Fatboy Slim, Maura Picotto, Eric Prydz, Armand van Helden, Basshunter, Freemasons and more! We will be adding loads of videos all the time so if you can’t find your favourite video to start with it shouldn’t be long for us to get it so keep checking back and you may be pleasantly surprised.
Watch this space for info on video updates and all other aspects of the service. We have some very exciting things planned over the coming weeks and months which you will definitely want to hear about.
Ben
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632 CommentsAdd Yours
1
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:03 pm by SpikedEffect
Cool stuff, look forward to giving it a try when I get home from work, looks awesome though!
2
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:03 pm by Youlikeyams
^Grow up, whoever has probably written “first”.
VidZone looks brilliant; piped Last.fm to the post on 360 too! Bring on this afternoon!
3
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:03 pm by hdplsa
Do you know when will vidzone be launched in Portugal?
4
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:04 pm by gamefreak2
@hdplsa
Probleble Never!
5
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:05 pm by singularity0821
Great, do you already know when it’s coming to the rest of Europe?
6
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:05 pm by agm2502
It’d be really good if we could share playlists like in Spotify, browsing other peoples recommendations or sending a playlist to a friend would be a good feature I feel.
7
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:05 pm by Psicojacorral
Goooooooood!!!
8
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:06 pm by DeathroW22
The word “First” should result in an automatic ban!
Anyway, looking forward to this – video quality looks great and since Youtube has blocked the UK from watching all the official music videos this could be a great replacement
9
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:06 pm by vanace
great, congratulations PSN thats a really good feature.
10
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:06 pm by cc_star
Great exclusive with Kasabian and good to see a good mix of non-pop acts as well.
11
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:07 pm by JesteR17011
You better have tons of 80s videos!
12
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:08 pm by ageha_stg
metallica? nirvana? foof fighters?
ok! count me in!
13
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:09 pm by PaInYbOi
Good luck on the launch guys
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:59 pm by Ben Creasey
Thanks!
14
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:09 pm by Johnboyy
Sweet.
15
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:09 pm by JohnnyCullenBUP
Radiohead?
Please dear god say I can swoon over Thom Yorke with this
16
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:10 pm by SneakGuy
Why not in Norway ?. This is a huge rip off again. ARRG!
I am very disappointed, I was looking forward for this, and the only thing this release does, is to make a lot of people angry.
Again and again,
17
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:10 pm by dillonradio
I’ll reserve judgement until I see the content… I hope it’s not just mainstream tastes that are catered for.
18
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:11 pm by Septimus78
Very nice… I can’t wait
19
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:11 pm by Guillemots
another great news, thanks Ben.
Can’t wait to download!
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:59 pm by Ben Creasey
No problem, Not long to wait now I hope you like it!
20
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:11 pm by BothBarsOn
Sounds great. I too am hoping for mucho Radiohead. Oooh and Pixies. Lots and lots of Pixies.
Also: can’t we permaban people who write “First?” and nothing else?
21
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:12 pm by Haraldo
Why isn’t it launched in all of Europe? The excuse given before about problems in “sourcing local advertising that is relevant and appropriate” sounds really lame, at least for Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway).
Do you have a roadmap when Vidzone is being deployed to rest of Europe?
22
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:12 pm by MC_Febras
Cool. Too bad it isn’t available in PORTUGAL…
23
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:13 pm by Watchful
Used to access VidZone via my NTL cable connection. There was a good eclectic mix of videos then and from the above post the mix seems to have improved. Looking forward to trying this out tonight.
24
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:13 pm by pillaysteven
Excellent
. Cannot wait! I have a few questions though.
Is it possible to stream the music without the videos?
Is there music without videos on the service?
Are there any plans to make music streaming available while playing a game? Offline game that is as it would create lag for an online game.
Anyway can’t wait to try it out!
25
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:14 pm by gamefreak2
@SneakGuy
We ar use to i’t for Sony to letting us down! They can not advertise this stuff good, they promes somthing and then is goint to be limeted where i’ts going to launche sony is pretty good for back stabbing other country’s wo ar idiots.
26
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:16 pm by gbh08
Good job!! i doubt it will cater for my music tastes but obviously it will for many, i think its decent you kept it free, could have easily slapped a yearly subscription fee on it… all we need now is the movie one
27
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:16 pm by Desert4PL
Yeah! I hope that this will be in Poland
28
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:16 pm by gamefreak2
@Haraldo
Wait abbout a year
29
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:17 pm by Deemerman
Oh man, I was really looking forward to this… but no launch in Belgium? Guess I’ll have to be patient for a while longer.
30
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:17 pm by Ishar
Good news ! Very good feature !
I’m expecting to see it this evening !
31
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:18 pm by Ackers11
will you be able to listen to the music in game or whilst browsing through the xmb and internet?
32
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:19 pm by krease2007
i can’t wait it looks and sounds great
the way it looks in those pictures looks amazing
will you be adding interviews as well over the coming weeks/months/years?
and maybe a feature to show the top 50 watched videos in the last week??
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 2:16 pm by Ben Creasey
Thanks! The service will be full of custom picked editorial to keep everyone happy, from playlists to charts to exclusive videos and interviews to live performances and more. All ideas for editorial features are very welcome i will be checking back frequently to get inspiration from all of you who suggest!
33
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:19 pm by ADPolicenaut
What about just going to YouTube via the PS3′s web browser?
34
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:20 pm by gamefreak2
@Deemerman
No we wont take i’t longer with this We have waited too long for a good service like this, Tand out you’re rights people. And fight.
35
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:21 pm by Sitron_NO
Can you please tell us about VidZone and rest of Europe? If we will get it and if so, when?
I am looking forward to this!
Regards,
Sitron_NO
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 2:13 pm by Ben Creasey
There are a few reasons mainly to do with advertising which means we can’t roll it out everywhere in one go. But we are already looking at ways to roll it out to more territories in the future. We want everyone to enjoy this service so want to get it live everywhere as soon as we can.
Rest assured the blog community will be the first to know when we have more territories to announce so keep checking back for exciting news.
36
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:21 pm by imajinetion
What the fudge? Seven countries? Why do you launch a service in just seven countries, one not even being part of Europe. I thought this european blog would bring ALL europeans good stuff, but apparently, it’s hard to do that too.
37
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:21 pm by reakt
It looks awesome! I’m very excited about this and looking forward to trying it out as soon as I get home from work.
38
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:24 pm by SneakGuy
@gamefreak2
Sony will get a lot more UK PSN users now I think….
Sony will soon have a higher number of PSN account than the number of sold PS3 !.
39
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:25 pm by Demadred
so still nothing for us norwegians?… oh well
40
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:25 pm by BritishBlue
Thank you Sony Europe, this is quite an amazing triumph you’ve pulled off. I appreciate your efforts and this announcement reassures me that I made the right choice in buying a PS3.
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 2:01 pm by Ben Creasey
Thanks, We are very proud of the service and sure you will all be big fans. Enjoy
41
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:26 pm by serendipiddy
I wonder.. will you be able to log on to other coutries stores to download it..? that might have to be an option for the angry portugese and hungarians.
Yay, vidzone, will check it out later today (assuming aus means nz too.. as we do share everything else on the store..)
Looking forward to it, thanks!
42
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:26 pm by rigney
I am very excited about this new service I have always wanted music videos on demand. Please can I request the following artists are added if they are not there at launch?
1) Tina Cousins
2) Sash
3) September
4) Abba
5) Mika
6) Cyndi Lauper
7) Akon
10) Tasmin Archer
9) In-grid
10) Daft Punk
11) George Michael
12) Pet Shop Boys
13) Enigma
14) Bjork
15) Madonna
16) Dario G
17) In-grid
18) ATB
19) Fredde Le Grand
20) Luciana
21) Shakira
22) Thalia
23) Snap
25) The Orb
26) Neneh Cherry
27) Evanesance
28) Bob Siclar
29) Betty Boo
30) C&C Music Factory
I know it’s a long list but they are some of my favs!
Many thanks Vidzone
Andy!
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 2:08 pm by Ben Creasey
I think you will be pleasantly suprised, any that we are missing we are working on as I type to get for your viewing pleasure.
43
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:26 pm by Seraphus-Y
As much as I appreciate the effort to add new features, I really bothers me the way things are implemented.
Now with the launch of Vidzone, it becomes apparent that the situation for Europe is again a mixed bag. Only some countries will have access to Vidzone, leaving out quite some countries.
Also most (if not all) EU PSN-stores lack content and a logical layout when compared to the US PSN-store. And of course we’re still missing out on PSN-vouchers (or a decent workaround) here in the EU.
It would be greatly appreciated when SCEE would take some real action to solve these issues. Or when proven to be more complicated, at least communicate about those issues in a more open fashion. This blog is a great start already.
Thanks.
44
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:27 pm by FreeLanZerDK
[DELETED] Does this mean it won’t be available in Denmark?
45
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:31 pm by herepoler
Will Vidzone in Russia?
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 2:19 pm by Ben Creasey
Not yet Herepoler. Bloggers will be first to know when we announce new countries for the service so keep checking back!
46
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:31 pm by randellaUK
How big will the download be any hint please?
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 2:09 pm by Ben Creasey
Not very big at all, will take seconds to download on a decent internet connection.
47
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:32 pm by BritishBlue
@42
Hahah, are you serious?! Of course the British Isles are part of Europe! Sony were right to release Vidzone over here because a sizable chunk of their european customers are here too.
48
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:32 pm by daffycare
looking forward to trying this later on thank you for this service sony
49
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:33 pm by Ne0N_420
AT LAST something the americans dont have hahaha its a shame the whole of europe cant have vidzone yet.. but remember guys/gals this is on trial in big countries to see if its successful or not keep your heads up you should receive it soon & one more thing why put FIRST and not add anything thats very immature and shouldn’t be done. …………..LAST…………..
50
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 1:34 pm by FreeLanZerDK
We need official confirmation on the specific countries it will be available in and which it wont be.
Posted on 11 June, 2009 at 2:11 pm by Ben Creasey
The official launch territories are UK, Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Australia. Keep checking back here for any news for new countries.
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