Clikthrough Raises $1 Mil from Music-Industry Figures, Adds 35 Interactive Videos to its Web Site

San Francisco-based privately funded interactive video and video analytics company, Clikthrough, announced last week that it has 1) debuted 35 new interactive music videos on its Web site as a result of new partnerships with Universal Music and Slip N Side Records (note: it already has a relationship in place with Sony Music/Photogenic Records); 2) launched a new version of its proprietary video analytics product, Traffic Jam; 3) made its Clikthrough Theater online showcase of interactive videos compatible with the iPhone and other mobile browsers; and 4) raised $1 million from what it calls "influential figures in the music business," bringing the total it has raised to date to $2.1 million.

The 35 new interactive music videos on Clikthrough's Web site showcase include videos by such high-profile artists as Britney Spears, Lady GaGa, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Ciara and Michael Jackson. Visitors to the site can click on the videos in order, for example, to purchase items featured in them, access more information (for example, short bios of musicians, dancers and actors in a video), comment, take part in polls or share them with their friends. "Now the fun begins," Clikthrough CEO, Abe McCallum, said in a prepared statement. "By significantly increasing the video content on the Clikthrough Web site, fans will get to see more of their favorite stars performing on our totally interactive video canvas, which they control and explore with a mouse click. The current videos on the site from The Script and Natasha Bedingfield average over 4.1 in-video 'Cliks' per play. In terms of engaging the video consumer on a deeper level, these numbers really speak for themselves. The revenue opportunities and other possibilities our technology creates for content owners, artists and advertisers are almost unlimited."

According to Clikthrough, the new version of its Traffic Jam analytics package tracks over 50 unique in-stream and out-stream consumer video engagement behaviors and metrics, allowing content owners to drill down into, compare and cross-reference content performance data in over 5,500 different ways. The company says that it decided to make its Clikthrough Theater showcase--which already supports Windows Media Theater, QuickTime, Flash, H.264/AVC and various other formats--mobile friendly because "more and more people now access the Web using phones."

Investors contributing to Clikthrough's $1 million in new funding, according to the company, include Swedish Grammy-nominated music producer and songwriter, Max Martin; songwriter, Savan Kotecha (whose skills, the company says, have helped sell over 35 million records); Nicky Byrne, leader of the Irish band, Westlife (which the company says has sold over 40 million albums worldwide); and UK music producer and writer, Wayne Wilkins.