Adele, Radiohead, and Arctic Monkeys Not on YouTube: Popular Music to Be Blocked From Site Due to Licensing Issue
Some of your favorite artists' videos will be removed from YouTube soon.
The video site is beginning a "mass cull" of artists backed by independent labels because they haven't signed new licensing terms, Digital Spy noted.
This means artists, like Adele, Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys, will be blocked from the site in a "matter of days," according to YouTube's head of content and business operations Robert Kyncl. He also said that about 90 percent of record labels have adhered to the new terms, so only 10 percent will be blocked.
"While we wish that we had 100 percent success rate, we understand that is not likely an achievable goal, and therefore it is our responsibility to our users and the industry to launch the enhanced music experience," Kyncl said.
XL Recording and Domino are some of the companies that have not agreed to sign the new contract because they don't believe that YouTube is paying them "fairly and consistently with the industry."
YouTube is changing its system. There will be a new subscription service where users can pay a monthly fee and not have to worry about advertisements when they watch videos, even when they are offline. Google is testing its new system internally in the next few days.
Singer Billy Bragg is against YouTube's newest move.
"I don't know why they've opened the hornet's nest right now, apart from corporate hubris," he said. "I don't think they realize what a stupid thing they've done."
Ed O'Brien, the guitarist for Radiohead, said that YouTube is trying to "strong-arm" labels into accepting less pay, BBC noted.
Alison Wenham, who runs the Worldwide Independent Network, echoed their sentiments.
'[Youtube is] making a grave error of commercial judgement in misreading the market," she said. "We have tried and will continue to try to help YouTube understand just how important independent music is to any streaming service and why it should be valued accordingly."
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