The upcoming site, called VEVO, will give people “premium” access to the whole of UMG’s video catalogue – which includes musicians like Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Eminem, Sting and the Killers – as well as let them syndicate and share material elsewhere.

Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said that he was “committed to promoting greater innovation and choice” – in what some will see as a sideswipe at rivals like Apple’s iTunes (certainly, Google doesn’t very often partner with companies in this way). The company, he added, was “thrilled to be working with UMG in what will surely be an exciting new service for consumers, advertisers, content creators and the music industry at large”.