MUZU is the internet’s answer to MTV. A free site for music videos, MUZU streams about 15 million videos to the UK every month. But, unusually for such a major site, MUZU is run by a Dublin-based company – begging the question, why isn’t it popular here in Ireland?

When MUZU’s MD Graeme Slattery and Advertising Director Keith Curley came to speak at UCD, students had heard whisperings of the site but very few people used it regularly. YouTube has dominated the market for the past decade but I think it’s time to make the Big Switch, with unlimited savings on wasted time and sub standard quality.

Here’s why: MUZU’s website is easy to use, and won the Ultimate Digital Provider prize in the 2010 Digital Media Awards. It offers playlist options that rival YouTube’s. The difference between them is that all the videos on MUZU are premium quality, and not user-generated. With the launch of the new Jukebox feature, users have little or no work to do – genre lists appear at the click of a button, great for all your party needs.

What makes MUZU different is the ability to create your own channel and upload all of your favourite songs. The site run frequent competitions with prizes like signed CDs and concert tickets. Not content with conquering the net, MUZU has just launched a partnering venture with Samsung allowing you to stream MUZU videos to your TV, allowing you use the website from the comfort of your sofa.

MUZU’s next endeavour is a ‘video clix’ programme, where you can simply click on anything you see in a video to buy it. See a dress you like on an artist? Simply click on the dress, and it will direct you to where to buy it. On the computer, TV, mobile phone – and soon in computer gaming – MUZU is becoming an unstoppable force.

The internet has been phenomenal in bringing music from the producer to the customer. But due to the lack of proper monitoring. illegal downloading was rampant. While the big labels looked on this as a threat, MUZU saw the opportunity in the ‘new music economy’ and created a free, legal music site for fans while generating revenue for the artists.

MUZU uses an ad-funded model (similar to Google’s) to make a profit for the artists and record labels alike. All income generated for the advertising is split 50/50 with the record labels. Not only is MUZU great for fans, it’s also a ‘unique opportunity for advertisers’, according to founder Mark French. The win-win situation for record labels offers a platform to market new artists and earn royalties at the same time.

There’s no reason why MUZU shouldn’t be as well known here, people just haven’t yet discovered the future of online music. Check out www.MUZU.tv and don’t turn back.