Following up on my earlier RIAA lawsuit post, Warner Bros. Records is just phenomenally stupid. They're pulling all of their music videos off YouTube:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warner Music Group ordered YouTube on Saturday to remove all music videos by its artists from the popular online video-sharing site after contract negotiations broke down.
The order could affect hundreds of thousands of videos clips, as it covers Warner Music's recorded artists as well as the rights for songs published by its Warner/Chappell unit, which includes many artists not signed to Warner Music record labels.
Up until today, the agreement allowed the labels to make money from YouTube videos. Just not enough...
The music companies typically get paid a share of any advertising revenue associated with the video and a per-play payment for every video viewed. The per-play fee is usually a fraction of a penny and with millions visiting YouTube everyday it was all expected to add up to a substantial amount.
But a source familiar with Warner Music's talks said the amounts it has been receiving from YouTube were "staggeringly low".
So effing what. YouTube is free advertising for recording artists, and WBR is viewing this through old linear paradigms and antiquated business models -- they're seeing YouTube as a destination rather than a gateway. For example, if I see a band or video I really like on YouTube, my next move is to open iTunes and buy the song -- if not the whole album. And the labels are making money when I watch the video, too!
Idiots.
This is a huge example as to why old media is slowly falling apart. Simply put: they just don't get it.
UPDATE: As of tonight, the Flaming Lips, one of my favorites and a WBR artist, are still alive on YouTube:
h/t Paddy via e-mail