YouTube Blocks UK Users From Watching Music Videos

LONDON — Google Inc. said Monday it will block U.K. users from watching music videos on its popular video-sharing site YouTube after negotiations with Britain's music royalty-collecting body broke down.

Google said it would begin blocking British users starting Monday night. The Internet titan said it knew the move would cause "significant disappointment."

But it said its hand was forced by PRS for Music, which it said is asking for royalties that would cause Google to lose money every time a video was played on YouTube.

"Our previous license from PRS for Music has expired, and we've been unable so far to come to an agreement to renew it on terms that are economically sustainable for us," Google said in a statement. Until a solution is found, it added, "we will be blocking premium music videos in the UK that have been supplied or claimed by record labels."

PRS for Music, which collects money on behalf of writers and publishers worldwide, said it was outraged by Google's move.

"Google has told us they are taking this step because they wish to pay significantly less than at present to the writers of the music on which their service relies, despite the massive increase in YouTube viewing," the group said in a statement.

Neither group revealed how much money is at stake in their negotiations.

YouTube has become an increasingly popular destination for record labels squeezed by declining sales for compact discs. The Web site has deals with three of the four major record labels but some rights-holders have balked at their cut of the advertising revenue.

In December, Warner Music pulled all of its music from YouTube, saying the payments it received did not fairly compensate the label or its artists and songwriters.

It was not clear how long the music videos would stay blocked. Both PRS for Music and Google said they hoped their dispute could be resolved quickly.

The video Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love," licensed by Sony BMG Music Entertainment U.K. Ltd., which has garnered more than 83 million hits, was still visible from the U.K. late Monday.

Comments

[Ares1]

First Warner and now this, it looks like their is a race to eventually block all music videos on YouTube, do that and you just wiped out more than two thirds of the videos on YouTube.

[KataVideo]

Could they please block awful british bands like coldplay from US?

[nachtengel]

Ludicrous. It will take everyone in the UK, aprox 15 min to set up Tor and a FF proxy to watch whatever they want, where ever they want.

Such stupid children to block the best advertising campaign platform in the world. Not to mention people will now start to flock to other platform.

The incessant stupidity of RIAA, MPAA, PRS and others never ceases to amaze me. Technology _will_ prevail... this makes things even more tPB even more viable an outlet for media.

[Fathoms]

Unfortunately there are a significant number of people, dare I say a majority, who aren't as technically sophisticated as we are. These are not media-savvy people. They are trapped in the midst of these MSM machinations. I second your use of Tor. The question is how to reach the consumers who are quasi-Luddite?

[nachtengel]

Actually, many of the guys that I have worked with in the UK either know of, or work with, guys who are relatively affluent in setting up switches and routers so whole buildings, cafes, and offices will be able to access this stuff without even knowing it.

I would bet that a fair amount of people under the age of 21 in the UK, are fairly fluent in having at least the knowledge that something called a proxy can fix them right up, where as there counterparts in the US would be lost so I hear your point though. (hell, I am the only one I know watching the BBC iPlayer here, and that is about 5 min worth of nobrainer work...)

[ramblingjohnny]

A few cycle ago the world was new, fresh, full of light and sound. Potential and innovation was everywhere.
Then came vultures smelling blood. Lawyers and mega corporation patented and copyrighted the world and suck the life right out of it.

Now the world is gray, soundless and empty. Everything and everywhere is the same no one dare innovate anymore...

[truth seeker]

johnny, you appear to be rambling ...

[ramblingjohnny]

Well that what I do! lolll

[samilli3]

My good friend who lives in England always posts the best videos..no­w WFT???

[databaze]

i guess they never heard of PROXY servers right?

[vedder110]

No, you're right, Google probably has no idea what a proxy server is.

[AContrario]

England, my England. The nation where everybody is under CCTV and bullied into
debt by banks and where greed has been raised to a moral value over human life
or cultural enlightment.

Of all the countries in Europe, Britons don't have any leadership left or even a collective
awareness of being a nation anymore, you can bestow upon them the worst
things, they would just take it apathetical and think that getting f...d by the governement
or corporations is a sign of toughness and courage. Really Sad.

The City has been wrecking finacial and social havoc for the last decades with the
Labour government as sponsor and people are not even fazed by that like in America.

RBS has posted the worst loss in the british corporate history and the CEO ran away
with a lout of £600.000($­1.2 M) a year until his death and no one reacts.

It is really weird living in London these days, everybody is just washed-up or wasted
to stupor in booze or drug, or both...

Soon Britons will be living in a state police, dumbed down with celebrity cult and dimwit
overpaid footballers(they dont go to college over here...) and in financial slavery for the
rest of their lives.

Sorry for ranting...­but England is a zombie country right now.

[CrackerJacker]

Amen from the North East, brother.

[jtmoney]

London sounds like fun! Can't wait for the Olympics!

[believethelie]

I would like to confirm AContrario's statements as very accurate, these details are not even exaggerations, I can testify first hand after living and working for over a year in London.

I believe that Britain's government and their culture is at the Heart of the world economic crisis. They are intimately tied to the monitary cornerstones that are tumbling down around us right now.

The Brits are quick to chastise the colonials (Americans) with those frontier lack of proper airs....
but the british people bear the blame because... how did you say it AContrario?
".... they .. just take it apathetical and think that getting f...d by the governement or corporations is a sign of toughness and courage "

The theme in britain is simple, everything ends with "now it is time for you to take more money out of your pocket and give it to us?
The article proves it once again.

[AmericanInLondon]

I just have to join in and completely agree. I've been here over 2 years and have noticed the same thing. The apathy really extends to just everyday life . For example I find it incomprehensible that many here seem to tolerate having a transport system that ranks among the worst in the developed world. Streets and sidewalks in some areas are littered excessively with all forms of refuse and waste, and people barely notice. Poor sanitary and hygenic standards are seen practically everywhere and that's just the way it is. Common courtesy has become a thing of the past.

Of course there are bright spots to living here, but in general you are right, it is like a nation of zombies. And spot on with the comment on the insane celebrity/­footballer worship! I completely don't understand that.

[Robrobrob]

A British story pops up and everyone goes for a cheap, generalised dig as if it's turning into Gomorrah.

It's not a perfect country and frankly, everyone is right about the politics and governmental interference. But compare it to France's atrocious treatment of immigrants, the US syphilitic right-wing, or the Belgians' destructive image problem and it's not as if everyone else is the paradigm of civilisation.

It may be a zombie country but it's our zombie country ta very much.

[gypsy508]

People complain about the music companies and musicians wanting royalties all they want but the bottom line is companies like YouTube are making money from their music. They, like most other high tech companies, are leeches. None do anything to promote the arts from the ground up in this country.

[vedder110]

First of all, YouTube hasn't turned a profit for most of its existence, and I'm not even sure whether the advertising revenue from YouTube is even a drop in the bucket compared to Adwords/Adsense for Google. Second of all, are you kidding me? I think YouTube is one of the greatest things to happen to "arts promotion from the ground up". Free reliable publishing of videos to one of the largest audiences in the world? Sure YouTube isn't a charity for the arts, its a service for Google customers in exchange for looking at Google-sponsored ads. But music videos are a promotional tool anyways, how often have you ever paid for the privilege to view music videos? Get off your high horse.

[CrackerJacker]

They make money off the ads, and the ads are paid for on the promise of clicks, same principle as tv ads or radio ads or newspaper ads. But to say that Youtube does nothing to promote the arts? Try posting something! I posted my student animated short up there, and while it may not get the buzz of anything well known, it got some attention it wouldn't have had before.

As for the idea that high tech companies are leeches, um, what about the record companies? Seriously, are you really saying that record companies really pay all their artists what they deserve?

[deckard70]

Music videos are really ads for the music. I know when I am checking out an artist, I check their MySpace page to hear a few songs, and YouTube to hear a few songs. If I like them, I buy their music.

I was trying to decide which Prince albums to buy, but since he's removed all his music from YouTube, I didn't buy any of them.

[sassafra]

bingo.
i also won't patronize any company affiliated with the riaa or the prs in europe for predatory practices against the fanbase. who needs them? there's always indie.

[KennyFox]

HuffPost and Drudge better watch out. Fair use is next.

[FairTalk]

So, is this a human rights violation?

[CrackerJacker]

How so?

[Furby]

I guess the UK advertisers get to pull their ads. And I suppose it's only fair that all the other advertisers get a lower rate because their ads aren't reaching the UK audience. So what's hurting the UK is also hurting Google's domestic numbers. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

[oakley9]

Youtube s**ks! They are cens0r and remove all kinds of stuff and I'm NOT talking about the stuff that really needs to be censored, like porn, etc. they remove videos about 9 1 1 and other so called politically "incorrect" material. They also have very very slow download speeds and also access to your microphone and camera, without you even knowing about it. Creepy!

[palealien]

Like Phil Alvin says, greedy furniture companies! They do not have the artists in mind at all.

You Tube has also been searching and stripping "violations" of homemade vids using music "illegally". I had a tribute to a dear departed friend and had to take it down yesterday due to a song that was on the radio in the background while I was shooting. I hope I live long enough to see the rights restored to the people who deserve them, and music shared as it should be.

[vedder110]

I don't think YouTube takes the initiative on their own. I'm almost certain that DMCA requires them to immediately remove or strip potentially violating material from the site on request from a reported rights holder. Complain to the rights holder, not Google/YouTube. Better yet, complain to President Clinton and the congressmen who passed the DMCA.

[cmdrgmh]

youtube is not the only one blocking. Try going to yahoo.com AU channel 7 website. You can not watch most of their video's either. Blocked by yahoo au. If you live in the US that is.

[gavrielle]

Music videos are ADVERTISEMENTS! Why should anyone pay for viewing an ad? If I like the song I will go out and buy it. These British money grubbers are just being stupid. And so are the artists, et. al. who support them.

[superfrog]

You are right Music videos are advertisements thats why PRS should be paying you tube for running there ad.

[proudloudlib]

Exactly my thoughts. In fact, I thought that was why the videos were on YouTube -- to promote the album and/or tour.

[ThePeacemakers]

The music videos contain music.
Writers and publishers get performance royalty money for the music.

And yes music needs to be paid for online.
It ain't free to make and produce it.

[liarsclub75]

I have worked with artists to make fan videos using 3D animation. These videos have helped many artists sell CDs and bring their music to an audience who would not have heard of them otherwise. As of now I can only work with artists who own the masters to their own songs because of these ignorant record labels and publishing companies. They are very much out of touch on this issue.