Nettwerk's McBride

As music sales continue to fall, the major labels are being forced to get creative in reaching customers, including embracing a channel the industry has long attacked: file-sharing online. 

Starting this week, Suretone Records, a division of the Universal Music Group, will begin distributing online video clips of some artists, such as Weezer and Drop Dead Gorgeous, the New York Times reports.

But the clips will have two interesting characteristics: they won't be encoded with DRM (digital rights management), meaning they can be freely shared and downloaded; and they will be incomplete, meaning the user will have to go to the label's website to view the entire video.

Nettwerk CEO Terry McBride, who has repeatedly called for the industry to distribute music in forms the customer wants, says the move will result in users' posting the clips on file-sharing networks, which will lead to increased sales for the labels and artists.

"This becomes public property," he said. "We're not going to tell the consumer how to consume."