YouTube Partners With Universal Music Group To 'Remaster' Iconic Music Videos

Music is considered a work of art, and music videos are regarded as the visualization of such arts.

To “remaster some of the most iconic music videos of all time,” YouTube has partnered with Universal Music Group in a project to “ensure current and future generations will get to enjoy these timeless classics as they’ve never before been experienced.”

Initially, 100 music videos have already been "remastered" and are available “in the highest available video and audio quality.” This includes:

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, Kiss, Tom Petty and more.

Lady Gaga’s music video for “Bad Romance” which was released in November 2009, has been "remastered" to high-definition

According to YouTube on its Google blog post:

"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. Each week over the next year, we’ll add more titles, with all 1,000 titles expected to be available before the end of 2020."

As YouTube was created and was then acquired by Google, some of the world's greatest and most popular music videos have been uploaded to the platform.

Being stored on the internet, they can be viewed by everyone, with quality that won't erode. But as years pass, the quality standards on many of those videos don't match the more modern experience expectations. For example, classic music videos were created solely for tube televisions with mono speakers.

In the modern days of high-speed internet, high-resolution flat TVs and stereo to surround sound systems, those retro specifications are clearly outdated.

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Michael Nash, Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy at UMG, said that

“We’re excited to partner with YouTube to present these iconic music videos in the highest audio and video quality possible. Our recording artists and video directors imbued these videos with so much creativity; it’s great to enable the full experience of their vision and music. These videos not only look amazing on any screen now, they will be enjoyed by music fans for decades to come.”

These remastered music videos on YouTube have “Remastered” in the description of videos, as they transform from SD to 1080p HD quality, with YouTube noting an optimal experience for mobile, desktop, and living room screens.

Remastered music videos have their original URLs, retaining their view-counts, and number of likes..