Bono + VEVO = Uh-oh

Bono was in New York City Tuesday night to help launch VEVO, a music/video site that’s kinda like a Hulu for the music industry. It’s like YouTube, but more of an official source for music-related video content. It’ll eventually be monetized so the music industry can say it’s making money on the web and all that stuff, yadda-yadda-yadda.

Anyhoo, this post isn’t about VEVO; it’s about Bono, who apparently didn’t come across too well in his opening remarks. You’ll never believe this, but Bono was over-the-top in some of his praise for this new venture. (Bono? Over-the-top? Noooooo! Yes. Srsly.) This comment is catching some flak:

“Friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of the old model that was the music business.”

The LA Times was so taken aback by Bono’s comments that they said this: “In terms of what Vevo ultimately means, one thing is certain. Do not listen to U2’s Bono.

Yes, they actually bolded that part. Like they’ve never heard Bono speak like that before? Listen, Bono has never met a hyperbole he didn’t want to hug. It’s what makes him … Bono.

Yer man also ticked off Bill Werde, Editor of Billboard magazine, and a nice guy whom I’ve traded emails with in the past. He was at the launch and said this on Twitter:

Bill Werde 2009 tweet

Ouch. Yeah. Not sure Bono needed to throw Billboard under the rug so he could hype the music industry’s newest effort to get a slice of the online pie. An effort, by the way, that CNET News called a music site we didn’t need.

If VEVO ends up as lame as that article suggests, this’ll be one speaking gig Bono may wish he hadn’t accepted.