Given the dominance of music videos in YouTube's most viewed of all time listings, it makes sense for the platform to give the medium its own focus.
This week, YouTube has announced that it's partnering with Universal Music Group to upgrade nearly 1, 000 of the top music videos of all time, including clips from Janet Jackson, Lady Gaga and The Beastie Boys.
As explained by YouTube:
"Starting today, exclusively on YouTube, you’ll find more than 100 music videos in the highest available video and audio quality. And this is just the beginning. YouTube and Universal Music Group are committed to fully upgrading nearly 1,000 music videos, painstakingly remastering some of the most important works in the history of the format to the highest possible standards."
YouTube says that it will add more remastered clips each week, with all 1,000 titles expected to be available before the end of 2020.
The intention is to ensure these videos are up to the latest standards, in order to maximize their appeal on new playback devices, and with new audiences.
"For years, some of the greatest music videos in YouTube’s catalog have been available only in the outdated standards originally intended for tube televisions with mono speakers. With this new initiative, we’re upgrading videos, vastly improving the viewing experience, whether on mobile, desktop or living room screens. The new videos will seamlessly replace the original versions on both YouTube and within YouTube Music, while retaining the same URL, view-counts and “likes.”
The new versions will have a specific “Remastered” note in the description, indicating that it has been upgraded.
Again, given the dominance of music videos on the platform (every video that's reached the top of the "most-viewed YouTube videos" list in the last decade has been a music video), it makes sense for YouTube to give the format more focus, and this initiative will help bring classic videos up to modern standards, and help to boost their appeal with newer audiences.