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YouTube To Block Music Videos In the UK

ChunKing writes "YouTube is to block all premium music videos to UK users after failing to reach a new licensing agreement with the Performing Rights Society. For many of us in the UK this is great news. The two main music licensing agencies in the UK — Phonographic Performance Limited and PRS — have a stranglehold on music use in this country and are stifling creativity."

8 of 161 comments (clear)

  1. Re:"Great news?" by lilo_booter · · Score: 5, Informative

    I think the intention is that it will raise public awareness of the issue, and is thus a good thing.

  2. Re:Every cloud.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    They said "Premium".

  3. UK music fans lose again... by Shrike82 · · Score: 3, Informative
    From TFA:

    Services such as Pandora.com, MySpace UK and Imeem have also had issues securing licence deals in the UK in the past 12 months.

    The Pandora fiasco is particularly annoying for UK music fans. I was poised to become a subscriber and pay a very reasonable fee to listen to music tailored for my tastes. Instead Pandora were forced to pull the plug in the UK, so everybody loses. Pandora lose subscription funds and advertising, the artists lose income from potential UK subscribers and Pandora adverts, and the listeners lose out on the chance to hear great music.

    Actually, the PRS don't seem to be losing out. How strange.

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  4. Re:New 404 message: by CmdrGravy · · Score: 2, Informative

    It looks to me like the PRS needs Google more than Google needs them. Hopefully Google will refuse to show any more of their dross until they can come back with some reasonable and sensible licensing terms for all their music.

    The most ridiculous part is that the PRS apparently can't even tell Google which artists would be covered by their licence. If they don't know who they're representing then how are the artists ever going to get any money from them ? Totally ridiculous !

  5. Re:If not in youtube then in some other site... by sunking2 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Videos on MTV/VH1? That's so 20 years ago.

  6. Re:Their own fault by JasterBobaMereel · · Score: 2, Informative

    Is it just me or were Music Videos given away free as adverts for the product at one time... when did they become the product?

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  7. Not just Youtube by sfraggle · · Score: 4, Informative
    It's not just Youtube that has been harassed by these people. Check out the Youtube blog post on the issue for some interesting comments, eg.

    ... I used to run a small business specilaising in car audio. They made me pay an extortionate fee because I had radios on display in my showroom. - Well, of course I did... That was what I was selling.

    ... We used to listen to the radio in my workplace but we now have to work in silence because the PRS decided someone from the public might hear it so the company would have to pay.

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  8. Re:Their own fault by residieu · · Score: 3, Informative

    What do those stand for, anyway? I used to think the M was for music, but there's no sign of music on MTV any more.