A few months ago ReadWriteWeb asked the question, “What are Hulu’s Mysterious Plans?” Our own Sarah Perez covered the rumors surrounding a subscription model, premium services and of course, the much anticipated iPhone application. While Hulu continues to keep mum on its new monetization plans, today’s reports reveal that the company is focusing on its music-related content.
In a company blog post Hulu announced signing a partnership with EMI for Norah Jones content. While Hulu is best known for its HD television and movie programing, the site’s latest deal may be a sign of things to come.
In the past Hulu has featured music content like its Live from the Artists Den and Live From Abbey Road series’, but this latest EMI deal may mean further plans to branch into the music business. Although EMI is Hulu’s first external music partnership, the fact that the company began as a collaboration between NBC Universal, Fox Entertainment Group and ABC / Disney means that its music-related reach is likely further than we realize. What’s more, the company already has the technology to stream music from their service as the same means can be used for delivering video and music. While it’s too early to say how this will play out, if Hulu’s decides to bundle on-demand streaming video and music, this iPhone owner would happily subscribe.
