A long time ago, in a land far removed from modern times, there existed a truly new idea to put music on TV 24 hours a day. Thus was born the MTV generation. Sadly many members of todays youth do not remember the likes of Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J. J. Jackson and Martha Quinn. Those same youths hear the name Adam Curry and they think, "isn't he that guy who invented podcasting and edited his own wikipedia entry?"

MTV has not been a 24 hour music video station for a long time. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find music video content on MTV because they have become something else. Even their sister station VH1 (where MTV fans over the age of 12 go) as stopped being a music video network.

This is where Virv.tv comes in. This online music television network hearkens back to the days when MTV was good and worth watching. Drawing from independent artists, Virv puts the viewer back in the heyday of music video television.

Virv's line up is not just unknown indie bands they also have some well known indie bands such as Bright Eyes, Of Montreal, Fujiya & Miyagi, Dappled Cities, Architecture in Helsinki and Cursive but to name a few. With a catlog that grows by about 40 new videos every month and 80 videos in the daily rotation schedule you can always find something new and interesting on Virv.

Virv

In order to watch videos on Virv you have to download a browser plug-in (sorry, windows only right now). The plug-in will work with both Firefox and IE and functions as a P2P IP live TV application.

When I asked the guys at Virv about this they told me that their player application, RayV, works in a grid network format without the need of a centralized streaming server. In essence the technology behind Virv is the ultimate mixture of IPTV and P2P. Due to the way it works it eliminates the cost of TV broadcasting and opens up a whole new world of content delivery on the Internet.

Think about that, not only is Virv bringing us back to the days when MTV was worth watching but they are using a system that has not existed in any meaningful way until now.

At this point you might be wondering how content gets on Virv. Being a venue primarily for indie bands you can't expect the Virv staff to be going door to door looking for acts. Instead they rely on contacts they have made in the world of indie music. Oh yes, they are also the people behind the indie musician marketplace YouLicense.

I had a little bit of time to talk with Ohad Ezer from the Virv staff and I was able to get a few questions answered:

Why Virv.tv?

Because people want music television that's not MTV or VH1. A channel with a refreshing playlist; a place to listen - and watch - videos by artists you love as well as discover artists you're gonna love.

Will there be integration with YouLicense?

As part of YouLicense’s commitment to servicing independent music artists - and their fans - and contributing to the growing demand for music discovery and independent artist and label exposure, Maor Ezer, Founder of YouLicense.com, and his partners, will be reviewing indie submissions and licensing opportunities for VIRV's playlist. Accesses to the channel and playlist submissions are completely free at www.virv.tv

How do bands get their content on Virv?

If we haven't contacted them, they can contact us. Artists/labels can watch the channel and, if they feel their video will fit in send us an email with a link nadav@virv.tv. We review every submission personally and love the process.

Will you stick with just videos?

No, we have plans for a number of community features and interactivity applications but we can't divulge just yet.

Is there anyway to find videos on Virv?

We're currently producing a playlist description which will contain a bio, picture and link to every artist on VIRV. This will allow users to find an individual video clip as well as anything else about the artist, label or director.

Do you put some videos in a higher rotation than others?

Not at the moment but we're very open to it. If an artist is going on tour, releasing a new record or simply has an outstanding, new clip for his/her fans, putting the spotlight on this artist is our duty we believe.

Will you expand to offer alternate streams/channels?

Yes, this is something for the future and our development will very much be steered by the response from our viewers.

What are you doing to promote Virv?

We're reaching out to blogs and promoting through existing musician and music fan communities on We Are Listening, The Plugg, YouLicense etc. etc.

We’re also launching an international marketing campaign soon.

Any chance of a Virv radio (audio only) stream for those who do not want to watch videos?

Why do radio when you can have the best of both worlds? It works and sounds as good as radio.

When will I be able to stream Virv content onto my Wii? Can you say WiiWare with me?

Hmm…that’s a great idea!

What are you still doing here? Go check out Virv.tv for yourself and enjoy the music!