Warner has already deployed 5 web sites using the platform

Aug 13, 2009 12:16 GMT  ·  By

Cisco may be well known for its high-end networking hardware but it's pushing hard into other, sometimes completely unrelated, fields like consumer electronics and software. The company has now announced with Warner Brothers Music Group a new deal in which the big music label will use Cisco's Eos platform to power the websites of its artists. Eos is a software platform that allows companies to quickly deploy websites with advanced capabilities like rich media support and even message boards.

"Cisco is committed to helping the Media & Entertainment industry produce its next big hit − new, personalized and interactive experiences that add value in the relationship between fans and the entertainment content they love," John Chambers, Cisco chairman and CEO, said. "The entertainment industry is in a market transition, and the network is the platform upon which this industry can redefine itself. Cisco is very pleased to work closely with visionaries like Edgar Bronfman and the Warner Music Group on how they can connect more closely with their fans throughout the world."

Eos is a social media software platform that allows companies to quickly deploy customized websites based on a common technology. The sites can incorporate rich media tools as well as some social features. The platform has a central management system that enables the companies to track detailed user data and traffic stats across all the sites it has deployed from just one location.

Warner Brothers Music Group claims that Eos has allowed it to deploy new sites five times faster than usual. The label fist started testing the technology in January launching two sites for its artists Laura Izibor and Sean Paul. Since then it has added three more artists, bands Paramore and Halestorm and R&B singer Trey Songz, and Warner plans to launch 12 more sites by the end of the year.

The label is Cisco's first customer for the platform, which it hails as the future of the music business as it moves from the traditional revenue model to newer ones online. One example of how the platform could provide a new revenue stream is with exclusive content on the websites, like the recent set box Paramore is offering, which is currently outselling the regular album 13 to 1 on the site. Cisco says more partnerships are in the works and this could be a real threat to MySpace, which is trying to reinvent itself as a music hub. Eos also has the possibility to syndicate content to the artists' pages on social networks or other sites, which could put MySpace in an even less favorable position.