In a move that has surprised many, Suretone Records has announced plans to distribute video files featuring popular acts like Weezer and new bands like Drop Dead Gorgeous on file sharing networks. Suretone is a Universal Records distributed label.

The label, which is also home to Angels and Airwaves, The Cure, The Pink Spiders and Chris Cornell, will not be wrapped in protective software to limit copying, That said, the initial foray will be limited to incomplete videos with a direction to the label's website to watch the complete version.

Though it seems like a small concession to file sharing, both the acknowledgment and active courting of file sharing users is a major sea change for the music industry, which has acted both litigiously and dismissively of the technology. You can read some more about the scenario via the New York Times.