Google backs new music venture by former Warner exec Lyor Cohen

Google backs new music venture by former Warner exec Lyor Cohen

The New York Post reported today that Google is in talks with former Warner Music executive Lyor Cohen to back his new music venture. Billboard confirmed the news by reporting that an agreement has already been reached.

Cohen is quietly building a high-level team comprising both management and label talent. His aim is to create a new kind of music company that has the reach of a major label whist requiring a much smaller infrastructure.

Google certainly has the money to invest in music content and being part of such a venture - should it succeed - would guarantee the company a bigger clout in the industry and better understanding of the behind-the-curtain processes that happen at labels.

The move signals that Google is not afraid of stepping on a few toes (and perhaps given its reach rightly so): YouTube is reportedly close to launching a new music subscription service and so it's interesting to see it finance a venture that aims to compete with the very labels that Google needs to have on board to get the service off the ground.