Vevo negotiating with EMI and Warner Music

EMI and Warner Music Group, the two smallest of the four top recording companies, has begun discussing the possibility of joining Vevo, the music-video venture created by Universal Music Group.

Music videos from EMI's Capitol Records, home of the Beastie Boys and Katy Perry, may be featured on Vevo when the site launches later this year.

(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET Networks)

Universal Music, the largest of the major labels, has already landed Sony Music Entertainment, the second largest and fresh off banking an undisclosed investment from investors in the Middle East. The technology platform Vevo will operate on will be powered by YouTube.

Vevo's creators have said the site will feature high-quality music videos and other original content, most of it coming from each of the participating labels' artists. Music videos are by far the most popular content on YouTube. Vevo is expected to launch in the next several months.

The talks come as music and videos are among the hottest topics in tech circles. On Thursday, at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, MySpace CEO announced that MySpace Music would offer music videos from the top labels, which also own a stake in MySpace Music.

Google is also working on a new music initiative that would give music fans specialized search results when they key in the name of music acts. Google's new music offering will include background information, photos, and video and also enable people to buy and stream songs via third-party sites, sources told CNET News.