Videos from major artists and indie artist could soon disappear from YouTube.
The video-sharing site is readying a paid subscription service.If you do
not comply with the new terms, you will have videos removed. Various labels do not plan to comply.
YouTube is preparing to radically change the site, adding a subscription service that is intended to help them compete in the streaming music industry. The Google owned video site has already signed new licensing deals with all of the major labels, but many independents are refusing to take part. Apparently, not only are smaller, indie labels not being offered the same deals as the majors, but the contracts that Google is putting in front of them are less than fair.
In order to show their muscle, Google has stated that any label—meaning smaller, independent ones—that does not sign a deal with them will not only be left off the new service, but will have their content taken down from the original, free YouTube. Vice President and Global Head of Business at YouTube Robert Kyncl recently claimed that they already had deals with 90% of the industry, and that they had no choice but to move forward.
If this is true, Youtube might just made the worst mistake of all time. The Internet is where the indie artist, filmmakers, and so forth thrive. A few sites report this is not the full story. So I will keep on digging. What are your thoughts?