This is not a revolutionary statement on music, but merely an easy way to find some favorites. And, once the user dives into a category, the relatively-new autoplay and shuffle features invite discovery and radio-like listening – all while multi-tasking. That offers a serious lure to Pandora listeners, especially when the free hourly quota expires.

YouTube is also offering some pointers to interesting content through custom-created playlists. That includes a section devoted to DIY artists, a great jump-off for those lucky enough to get inclusion.

The lawsuit focused on the Google-owned video giant, a growth story that Viacom alleges was partly powered by its content. But Stanton ruled that YouTube has been complying with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by effectively investigating and removing videos upon request. “Indeed, the present case shows that the DMCA notification regime works efficiently: when Viacom over a period of months accumulated some 100,000 videos and then sent one mass take-down notice on February 2, 2007, by the next business day YouTube had removed virtually all of them,” Stanton opined.

Google was obviously pleased. “The decision follows established judicial consensus that online services like YouTube are protected when they work cooperatively with copyright holders to help them manage their rights online,” said Kent Walker, Vice President and General Counsel of Google in an afternoon statement.

The implication suggests a status quo for labels and publishers, though the parties have long since created revenue sharing agreements. On top of that, the integration of Vevo has cleaned the number of dirty dupes on YouTube, leading – at least potentially – to a more “monetize-able” site.

But this is far broader than just a download sensation. The clever, lyrically-alive video is also gaining on YouTube, and the song continues to grow on traditional radio. Currently, “Hey” is ranked 10th across terrestrial radio as tracked by Mediabase (also part of BigChampagne’s BC Dash interface). And, the growth has been happening since August, a tough feat in the current, oversaturated media landscape.

But the ukulele-spiced song clearly has that special something that hits are made of, and that is cutting through. Train is a hit-ready trio fronted by the radio-friendly voice of Patrick Monahan, and this is a song that works perfectly for the ensemble. But why did it take so long for the spotlight to return? “It’s a funny business,” Train manager Jonathan Daniel told Digital Music News in Los Angeles. “To me it’s the song, it starts and ends with it and no one’s exempt from having a great song.”

Indeed, some newer fans may not be connecting the dots between “Hey, Soul Sister,” “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me),” and other hits like “Meet Virginia” and “Calling All Angels”. Instead, the return for a band like Train is a top-heavy affair, one that requires an out-of-the-park smash. “There’s something about this song that really resonates with people,” Daniel continued, while pointing to strong early response across Twitter and first-wave stations.

Digging a bit deeper, Daniel credited radio for generating the current mass appeal, especially among the older demographic. That is a fanbase “borne of the radio generation,” and Daniel noted that Train themselves only recently jumped onto platforms like Facebook and Twitter. “You really need radio if you want to reach critical mass,” Daniel continued, while candidly noting that “we were not expecting Z100 to be playing Train in 2010.”

But the real tipping point actually came from television. The rocket fuel was CSI, which featured “Hey, Soul Sister” and “Calling All Angels,” the beginning of “an all out hit” that is now stretching around the world. That includes serious reactions across Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands, both online and off.

Separately, sources to Hits Magazine pointed to a splash event at Skylight Studios in lower Manhattan, and participation from leading independents, brands, and other advertising agencies.  That was later confirmed by an email from Vevo, which additionally pointed to an upcoming presence across vevo.com and youtube.com.

Currently, the venture involves Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, though others are expected to join at a later date.  YouTube is powering the backend video technology.

Outside of launch and partner specifics, the challenge for Vevo is to find a way to better monetize music videos online.  That means sloughing away CPM-unfriendly elements associated with user-generated content, including affinity issues that emanate from loosely-regulated uploads and distasteful comments. Whether Vevo can create a neater, cleaner, and safer environment for advertisers remains unclear, though everyone involved has a great deal to gain from the effort.