YouTube has teamed up with Universal Music Group to remaster nearly a thousand classic music videos, the companies announced today, including those from from Billy Idol, Beastie Boys, Boyz II Men, George Strait, Janet Jackson, Kiss, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Lionel Richie, Maroon 5, Meat Loaf, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, The Killers, Tom Petty, and others.
Many of the most iconic music videos on YouTube were only available in the “outdated standards originally intended for tube televisions with mono speakers,” YouTube explained in an announcement. But today, people watch videos across a number of platforms — desktop, mobile, and TV — and they often do so in high-definition. The old videos didn’t hold up. With the new partnership, both the video and audio quality will be updated to the highest standards, then the new videos will slide in to take the place of the existing SD versions. They’ll also retain the same URL on YouTube as well as all the view-counts and likes, instead of arriving as new content. As of today, the companies have already updated over 100 music videos including the following:- Billy Idol: White Wedding
- Beastie Boys: Sabotage
- Boyz II Men: End of the Road
- George Strait: Check Yes or No
- Janet Jackson: When I Think of You
- KISS: Forever
- Lady Antebellum: I Run To You
- Lady Gaga: Bad Romance
- Maroon 5: She Will Be Loved
- Meat Loaf: I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)
- No Doubt: Don’t Speak
- Gwen Stefani: Hollaback Girl
- Smokey Robinson: Being With You
- The Killers: Mr. Brightside
- Tom Petty: Free Fallin’