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Google: Indie Musicians Must Join Streaming Service Or Be Removed

Posted by Soulskill on from the our-way-or-the-highway dept.

Sockatume writes: In a statement to the Financial Times and reported by the BBC, Google has confirmed that it will remove the music videos of independent artists unless they sign up to its upcoming subscription music service. Many independent musicians and labels have refused to do so, claiming that the contracts offer significantly worse deals than the likes of Spotify and Pandora, and that Google is unwilling to negotiate on the rates it offers artists. A Google spokesperson indicated that the company could start removing videos within days.

2 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. MySpace to the rescue? by PseudoCoder · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sounds like an opportunity for MySpace to try to reclaim some of that territory. Anybody know if MySpace has the chops to turn this into a good thing for them?

    --
    "Now, I doubt any of you would prefer a rolled up newspaper as a weapon against a dictator or a criminal intruder."
  2. Re:What's a music video? by timeOday · · Score: 5, Interesting
    My guess is there is a bit of spin going on here. If an indie wants to post their video for free, I doubt google will take it down. The question is probably all about the checks these indies have been getting from google, and google's refusal to keep sending them unless a new bargain (which includes google streaming for cheap) is struck.

    If my guess is correct, the answer to your question is that the process is actually self-selecting.