“Letters in red read: Claimant Information will be published on the Youtube site in place of the disabled video”

Nothing says “I’m a total dick” like threatening to reveal one’s personal information to the world. But that’s exactly what the second largest company on earth does.  This is YouTube/Google’s stated policy.  Not even the TV show Silicon Valley has brogrammer-villains this vindictive.

Here’s how this works:

If you are an independent songwriter or performer and say one of your songs is leaked in advance of the record?  You do what you’ve done a hundred times on other sites. You fill out a DMCA notice and most of the time the site pulls the song.

But YouTube/Google of course has to be a total dick about it.  When you attempt to do this with YouTube this is the  screen that greets you when you attempt to file a complaint.  Read it.   They’ll let you take the song down but they’re gonna plaster your personal information all over the web.

This goes beyond bullying.  This is flat out intimidation. They get to keep something of  YOURS  or they reveal your personal information.  Didn’t they used to call this EXTORTION?

Of  course the major record labels have access to something called the Content ID system.   They don’t get treated the same.  Indie artists?  We get bullied and intimidated.  Don’t stand for this.

Write your congressmen, state AG, and the DOJ directly.

To write your congressman:

http://www.contactingthecongress.org

To find your state Attorney’s General:

http://www.naag.org/current-attorneys-general.php

To report anti-trust concerns directly to the DOJ:

http://www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html#document

 

 

 

 

 

What does Google have to do to finally get the anti-trust and anti-competitive practices scrutiny it deserves?

If the facts being reported in this Guardian article are correct  Google/YouTube has clearly crossed the line.  The Guardian reports:

“WIN, which represents independent labels worldwide, claims that YouTube is approaching labels directly with a “template contract” and threatening that if they do not sign it, all their music videos will be blocked on YouTube.It also claims the terms of the contract are non-negotiable, and undervalue the music of these labels in comparison to Spotify, Rdio, Deezer and other subscription streaming services.”

So YouTube is using it’s video monopoly to leverage concessions in the music streaming marketplace?  Sure looks like it. This is by definition an anti-competitive practice.   How f—ing blatant do you have to be to get the DOJ’s attention?  If the DOJ does not investigate perhaps Congress needs to investigate the DOJ?   If the feds can’t get it done it’s time for the State AG’s need to look into this.

If you are an independent musician or you own an indie label consider contacting your congressman, state AG office or the DOJ.

To write your congressman:

http://www.contactingthecongress.org

To find your state Attorney’s General:

http://www.naag.org/current-attorneys-general.php

To report anti-trust concerns directly to the DOJ:

http://www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html#document

 

 

 

Someone sent us this interesting document.   This is real.

Never mind that Beats only has 110k subscribers.   Is Apple Buying Beats simply because of the  ridiculously low royalty that songwriters are paid?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++UPDATE++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

People may be getting the impression that we are down on the Beats service. We actually like Beats from an performers perspective for several reasons. here are two.

1)  As a pay platform-not advertising supported-there is higher revenue per stream.  We are paid on a percentage of revenue.  We make more money as a consequence.

2) The major record labels appear to own less of Beats (then they do of Spotify) and perhaps another explanation for the higher royalty rate at Beats is less was traded away for stock. Perhaps we will get more information about this if there is a Hart-Scott-Rodino Act hearing on the sale given Apple’s dominant position in hardware and music services.

What we don’t like is that as Songwriters we are paid so little.