Tuesday 10 March 2009

YouTube Blocks UK Music Videos

YouTube is today (March 10th) starting to remove all premium music videos from its UK site, with most of them expected to be removed within the next two days.
The move comes after YouTube, which is owned by Google, and the Performing Rights Society (PRS) failed to reach a new licensing agreement.

The PRS, which represents musicians and copyright holders in the UK, has been holding out for a better pay deal for artists whose videos feature on the site.

The BBC has reported that according to Patrick Walker, YouTube's director of video partnerships, the PRS was seeking a new deal with artist payments "many, many factors" higher than the last deal, prompting the site chiefs to take the drastic action.

Steve Porter, head of the PRS, said he was "outraged... shocked and disappointed" by the move and that "This action has been taken without any consultation with PRS for Music and in the middle of negotiations between the two parties."

Walker suggested that a compromise could be reached, though, saying: "We feel we are so far apart that we have to remove content while we continue to negotiate with the PRS."

No comments: