YouTube Controversies

I wanted to take some time out of my day to speak about YouTube.  This mega site has been around for more than six years now and has been the object of much controversy.  Quantcast.com gives YouTube a number 3 ranking on the US charts for most visited sites.  The site has come under fire in recent years for many of the copyright issues, vulgar and controversial material they make available.  Let’s take a look at some of the good and bad of this site.

I’d like to start out by introducing a site that I recently discovered called Listentoyoutube.com.  Not only does this site allow you to turn YouTube videos into Mp3’s, it's also very easy to use.  Turning most files from video to Mp3 takes about 2 minutes depending on your Internet speed.  The sound quality for the final product is lacking though.  There is an option to download as a higher quality but most often that feature doesn’t work.  I'm not sure how legal this site is but for now it is fully functional; only time will tell.  

There is the issue of copyright infringement on YouTube.  A recent suit involving Viacom last year saw YouTube win the case by use of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).  YouTube could not be held legally liable because they were working with the copyright holders to secure their rights.  Viacom stated after the loss that the court’s ruling was not only contrary to the language of the DMCA but also a flawed decision.  The media conglomerate will be filing an appeal to the higher courts in hopes of getting a favorable outcome that could see them collect $1 billion in damages.

Many videos of nudity and other vulgar or gross material have made it onto the site only be removed immediately.  Some videos do stay on longer because they sort of straddle the line of appropriate vs. inappropriate.  The guidelines and rules of YouTube use are clearly spelled out in the link below but this doesn’t mean that people won’t get away with as much as they will attempt.  A European Union launched YouTube site sparked controversy with a clip titled “Film Lovers Will Love This!” The clip shows various types of people having sex in various places and at the climactic point of the clip shows the phrase “Let’s come together”.  The clip is not only a problem because it is being paid for by taxpayers as a government sponsored site but is also seen as cheap and tacky by some officials. 

I envision that the site will continue to grow and could take the number one spot of most visited website in the US.  There are so many other things that YouTube could offer that other sites provide like streaming movies, games and more live concerts.  If YouTube can continue to be creative and pioneering then we could see the site going strong for many years to come.      

http://www.quantcast.com/youtube.com

http://www.listentoyoutube.com/index.php

http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287923,00.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koRlFnBlDH0

http://allthingsd.com/20100623/google-wins-youtube-copyright-suit-viacom-promises-appeal/

Review of Bandcamp

This weeks blog is inspired by feedback from other students about the website Bandcamp.com.  Our discussion revolved around websites that offer self-publishing for books and music.  We were required to research and comment about the information researched about POD (print-on-demand) sites.  Our instructor gave us some very good examples of some of the top sites but we were also encouraged to find new POD’s.  Bandcamp was a site that I had previously researched about a year ago.  The discussion gave me the chance to find new information about the site.

According to the webpage, Bandcamp has been around for 5 years, has 1,229,157 paid transactions and has 16, 823,426 downloads to customers.  This site allows for artists and bands to sell their music and merchandise via Bandcamp.  There is no initial cost for signup to use the site.  The only money you give Bandcamp is if you sell any items at which time they will take 15% of your revenue for the sale.  The site does very well to offer information about their sales numbers but nothing very detailed as far as how much artists actually earn.  There are also some very nice artist reviews that really help to rep the site.  It’s hard to argue with endorsements by artists that have used the site for a while and seem to have success with generating revenue by using the site.

What sparked my interest in Bandcamp was a blogger that contacted my boss, Deborah Mannis-Gardner, and wanted to interview her about sample clearances and the music industry in general.  One of the questions he asked her was, “Do you believe sites like Bandcamp are the way to go for bands on a budget?  Also, do these indie bands that make use of samples from other unknown artists still need to get clearances for music?”  Deborah replied by saying, “Any way you can get your music heard is always the way for an artist to go.  If a sample can be recognized or has knowingly been used then it needs to be cleared.”

The thing that I like about Bandcamp the most is that it’s easily accessible to anyone looking to do their own distributing and promoting.  There is no initial sign up fee and the percentage they make from your revenue is not that much at 15%.  What I don’t like about Bandcamp is that it is somewhat under the radar.  Hopefully the addition of higher profile artists gets it much deserved recognition.  With major labels and even many of the indie labels you will get an advance to make records or for living expenses.  Bandcamp offers nothing like that but also never expects to see any money unless you make money, which is much different than labels, which expect an ROI (return on investment).  Overall, this is one of the best sites for do-it-yourself music distribution and promoting, making it the best kept new music site out there.

Personal quote from Deborah Mannis-Gardner

http://bandcamp.com/

http://bandcamp.com/pricing