Brightcove and Sony BMG Music Entertainment have signed a deal that will change the face of how music videos are viewed.

Media Week is reporting that the companies will create a dedicated Sony music video player. Also they'll also distribute ad-supported videos over Sony sites.

Already Sony has launched Musicbox Video, a website that features videos from many of Sony's labels. The site enables friends to share favorite videos with each other, too, by sending direct links.

Forty individual artists and labels now use Brightcove's custom video player to feature ad-supported content of their own. J. Lo, for example, has on demand content for fans on JenniferLopez.com and more perks are expected to come.

Brightcove also intends to syndicate Sony's video content across affiliate sites and will sell ads to support the venture.

So, what does all this mean?

It means music companies are seeing the value in their music videos in a whole new way. Rather than just serve as promos for their artist's titles, these have become marketable items on their own. This is great news for video fans, too. If Sony is the trendsetter, videos from all sorts of big labels will soon be available for on-demand viewing and download.

It also explains why the music companies have been getting so antsy about piracy. Why watch videos with ads if you can get "pirated" copies for free?