This is probably the most elegant and inspired explanation of the latest round of dramas to happen on YouTube, ie. the takedown notices, muting, and the wide spread deletion of videos containing any snippet of music copyrighted by Warner Music Group.
I don’t think anyone could offer any better explanation, or solution, than Rob Rubin does here.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I am sorry but I cannot stomach this argument. The reality is that for many people creativity is their job! Copyright is the mechanism that ensures that there is a financial incentive for art and creativity.
I have to wonder how pissed video creators would be if Warner stole their video and used it as a video clip for a Metallica song.
And this “you’re making me stupid by not letting me mindlessly insert your music into my content” argument is so totally bogus. Artists have always demonstrated how constraints help foster greater creativity!
The thing I am really beginning to appreciate about YouTube is that everyone there thinks they’re so progressive, so liberal – they supported Obama and use technology – but there is still such an undercurrent of mob warfare. The interesting thing to note is that YouTube (as a business) is largely ignorant to the pleas of the masses.
I tend to think it goes both ways John, I’m not sure it’s quite as black and white as I think you might be suggesting in your comment…or as black and white as a lot of people on YouTube are suggesting.
Of course everyone has the right to protect their intellectual property if they choose to, and of course companies definitely want to protect their income sources, but I think there needs to be a middle ground where companies are still protected but the average ‘youtuber’ can use music in their videos (as an example). Cue Creative Commons licensing.
I’ve noticed a lot more artists are licensing different versions of their commercially available music, videos, photos, website designs, etc. under various CC licenses. The only problem currently is weeding out the junk CC from the great CC, also I think the average persons knowledge of how Creative Commons works and how they can and cannot use CC licensed content is lacking.
Hopefully with the continued efforts of people like Jo Ito, Creative Commons knowledge will become a lot more mainstream.
Thank you for your comment John, much appreciated.
Ahh, THIS is where John complained at me. Hooray for weblinks.
Let me see, having BEEN plagiarized myself, I took it as a sort of compliment. If my words were so important that someone else needed to use them to make a point, hey it means I did my job. I didn’t scream for copyright infringement, I just told the editors to keep an eye on that particular writer.
Now as for his comment “And this “you’re making me stupid by not letting me mindlessly insert your music into my content” argument is so totally bogus. Artists have always demonstrated how constraints help foster greater creativity!”
o rly?
so the argument here is that in SPITE of being hobbled, constrained, controlled and deficated upon by the powers that be, people are more creative for it? Oh, ok, sure. So by that logic, I’d like to invite John to write poetry for a while. Using only his feet. And a quill pen. On shag carpet. And you can’t use the letters “E”, “P” or “L”. Oh and 3000 words please, this is an epic. Oh, and you cant’ use any words ever spoken or written by Robert Frost, ee Cummings nor Lord Byron. You have a fortnight.
not everyone is a musician. not everyone can compose music. Not everyone has a band or a studio at their beck and call. Let alone most 14 year old kids who thought it’d be fun to make a movie in the backyard on a Saturday. And most 15 year old kids would be, in the vernacular, “STOKED” if Metallica used their fan video as their official release.
What this really comes down to is that youtube/google and WMG are in a tiff over money, and both are trying to leverage the fanbase to their side. And the casualties are the fans. What the music industry calls “theft” we call “networking” and “free advertizing”. Theyr’e stuck int he “napster” era, and we’ve evolved to something faster and better. they can keep up with us, or get dropped. Their call.
Oh, and hi Mat! Glad you enjoyed the video. I’m enjoying the fallout from here actually. It amuses me that a video is being analyzed by people all over the world, from corporate types to housewives. Good to see folks down under at least have a sense of humor about things. for the most part anyway. enjoy your summer, it’s freaking freezing up here.
WMG can suck my ass. I hate them, I'm trying to do stuff and express stuff through my videos and they just go and take them down even before they have finished uploading!
WMG can suck my ass. I hate them, I'm trying to do stuff and express stuff through my videos and they just go and take them down even before they have finished uploading!