YouTube Company Clowns Just Don't Get It

UPDATE: A few comments that we've misunderstood this issue. Therefore we've adjusted the headline. Please provide further comments to clarify exactly what's going on here between WB/R, YT, & artists.

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From today's NY Times, more background on yesterday's news that WARNER REPRISE PULLS NEIL YOUNG YOU TUBE VIDEOS.

WARNER REPRISE FAMILY PENALIZED FOR BEING EARLY
By Neil Young, Reprise recording artist

Warner Reprise records was one of the very first to embrace You Tube. You Tube was in its fledgling stages when Warner made an early deal to work with them. Today, other labels have made more lucrative deals for their artists at You Tube.

So You Tube is the new radio.....but not quite.

Radio used to introduce music to the masses and was crucial to every new release, with identical compensation for every artist and label. Since You Tube has given some labels better deals that others, the Media Giant is treating artists unequally, depending on which label they are on.

Today's web world has created a new way. Artists today can go directly to the people. There is nothing standing between the artists and their audience. Freedom of expression reigns. People today feel that they should be able to get all the music and art that they want, from the artists who they appreciate. When that conduit is broken, the connection is weakened.

If all artists were compensated equally, and the people decided who had the hits and misses by virtue of number of downloads and plays, there could be no grounds for disagreement that would cause the facilitator of the art to break the conduit between an artist and an audience. That is what has happened to Warner Bros artists caught in You Tube's web. You Tube has a responsibility to respect the artists it facilitates and resist punishing them to make a business point.

It is time for industry wide standards of artist's compensation on the web.

Reprise and Warner Bros artists deserve what artists from other labels are getting. Let the people decide what constitutes success. Warner Bros and Reprise are looking for a level playing field. Until they get one, these problems may not go away. That is the essence of the issue between Warner Bros Reprise and You Tube.

(thanks Tony!)

As we indicated yesterday, Neil is clearly pissed and with the submission of FITR is now free and clear of the record company clowns at WB/Reprise.

It looks like Neil will have a lot of options on how to proceed with his next career steps. Given the music industry's ineptitude over the years -- witness the Napster MP3 lawsuit debacle -- we'll bet that this is the last dying gasp of the traditional music industry. But maybe they'll light a candle?

Probably the key line of Neil's memo is: "To many artists, You Tube and the internet are the new radio.". Streaming video killed the radio star.

Video-audio content will just move along the internet from YouTube to the next video service.

Will this be the second time in a decade that the music business totally blows a golden opportunity to save itself?

More on reaction to Neil Young's "Fork In the Road" video.

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