PluggedIn Music Video Site Lauded As The Next MTVPluggedIn Music Video Site Lauded As The Next MTV

An entertainment company whose partners include actor/musician Will Smith as well as entertainment industry moguls James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz on Wednesday launched a music video Web site.

Overbrook Entertainment and PluggedIn have announced the launch of a beta site offering free streaming music videos. The PluggedIn site offers more than 1 million artist profiles, and 10,000 high-definition, broadcast-quality videos from EMI, Sony BMG, and other music labels. It uses a new media player for HD, full-screen playback without buffering.

Pat Magnarella, a management company founder whose clients include Green Day, The All-American Rejects, and the Goo Goo Dolls, called it "the next generation of MTV." Ronn Werre, executive VP of global sales, licensing, and synchronization for EMI, said it's "one of the best music discovery experiences" he has ever seen.

The site offers DVD-like controls, a multimedia search engine, and fan community groups, the companies said. Videos are encoded for dial-up, wireless, and broadband. Users can search for their favorite artists and receive recommendations, videos, photos, playlists, news, blogs, and biographies.

"Until now, watching HD or even broadcast-quality music videos on the Web has been nearly impossible," Jeff Somers, CEO of PluggedIn, said in a news announcement. "Today we're announcing a major step forward in the way that fans can connect with the high-quality content and artists that matter most to them. We're focused on building a unique experience for fans -- a place where they can meet and interact with each other, and where they can enjoy, discover, and share premium quality video content."

The site features major artists, including Radiohead, Joss Stone, Green Day, 30 Seconds to Mars, Coldplay, Gorillaz, Chemical Brothers, Norah Jones, Daft Punk, KT Tunstall, and Keith Urban.

Overbrook, a partnership between actor and musician Smith and entertainment industry veterans James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz, said it has invested money and other resources in PluggedIn. Guy Primus, head of interactive media at Overbrook, said the site has reshaped the way people will appreciate music online by combining high-definition video with personalization, social networking, and e-commerce tools.

The site also allows users to buy digital downloads, CDs, merchandise, and tickets.