[x]Blackmoor Vituperative

Friday, 2009-03-13

YouTube stands up to music industry extortion

Filed under: Intellectual Property,Music — bblackmoor @ 13:48

Google-owned web site YouTube has decided to block music videos in the UK rather than give in to the Performing Rights Society (PSA) of Music, a group representing artists and publishers in the UK.

“… PRS is now asking us to pay many, many times more for our license than before,” he wrote. “The costs are simply prohibitive for us – under PRS’s proposed terms we would lose significant amounts of money with every playback.”

He also claims PRS is unwilling to even tell the video streaming site what songs are included in the licensing renewal being negotiated. Walker claims the deal is “like asking a consumer to buy an unmarked CD without knowing what musicians are on it.”

(from YouTube blocks music videos in UK, The Register)

Good for you, YouTube!