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Residents of the United Kingdom will no longer be able to turn to YouTube for most music videos — for the moment, anyway.
As copyright holders and YouTube owner Google battle over how to compensate artists, labels and writers when their music is played on YouTube, negotiations have apparently broken down between the British Performing Rights Society (PRS) and Google.
YouTube is blocking viewers in Britain from watching all “premium” music videos as a result, starting Monday. We assume one can use a proxy server to get around the blockade, but for the majority of users, this means no major label music videos on YouTube (in this scenario, “premium” generally means “major label”).
Predictably, each side blames the other.
Patrick Walker, YouTube’s director of video partnerships, told the BBC
that the “regrettable” move was necessary because PRS was asking Google
for “many, many factors” more money than the previous agreement had
stipulated.
Meanwhile, PRS head Steve Porter accused Google of trying to
decrease payments to PRS despite YouTube traffic having grown since the
last deal was signed. “Google has told us they are taking this step
because they wish to
pay significantly less than at present to the writers of the music on
which their service relies, despite the massive increase in YouTube
viewing,” he stated. “This action has been taken without any
consultation with PRS
for Music and in the middle of negotiations between the two parties.”
PRS says it has asked Google to reinstate Britain’s access to
premium music videos on YouTube until the sides can arrive at an agreement.
But as with the Warner Music Group YouTube deletion,
this blockade could be in in place for some time — especially
considering the vast gulf between the two sides’ demands. (High royalties
in the United Kingdom have also dissuaded Pandora and other services from operating there.)
Once again, music fans — this time British ones — will wonder why so
much music is suddenly unavailable on YouTube, while artists and labels lose
whatever they would have made in Britain through the service. Meanwhile, each day the videos are blocked, another batch of British
music fans will learn to look elsewhere for music and videos.
See Also:
- Songza Turns YouTube into On-Demand Music Tool
- Neil Young: Failed Warner/YouTube Negotiations ‘Penalized’ Artists
- Licensing Fees Force Pandora to Shut Down U.K. Music Service
- Indies: The Fifth Major Label?
- Warner and Others Muted on YouTube
- YouTube Opens Up Shop with Downloads
- Warner Pulls Music from YouTube
Source: Eliot Van Buskirk
