YouTube's Big Traffic Stick Forces PRS To Slash UK Streaming Royalty Rate
from the who's-got-the-value dept
Back in March, YouTube began blocking music videos for users in the UK after it said the PRS, the country's music licensing body, was charging royalties so high that it was losing money every time a user watched a video. As Mike pointed out at the time, "Google is making the point to PRS: you need us much more than we need you." It looks like that point's been made, as the PRS last week cut its streaming royalty rates by more than half, and is now basically begging YouTube to remove the block, since the site was at one point responsible for 40 percent of PRS' online plays. It looks like maybe the PRS is beginning to understand that without useful distribution (like that provided by YouTube), its members' content loses a lot of value, and that in turn, moves it makes to hamper distribution (like high royalty rates) actually serve to destroy value, not deliver it.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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Filed Under: music, rates, uk
Companies: google, prs, youtube
Reader Comments
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I say...
They tried to strong-arm them, and are now learning what it means when you pick a fight with a dog bigger than you. They deserve NOTHING, and YouTube doesnt NEED them. Cut them off at the balls, and teach them and every other greedy, over-valuing, big-content, unleash-the-lawyers-on-your-customers, screw-the-artist A-HOLE company out there a very big lesson.
Adapt or die. Learn how the world works now, adjust to it, or die.
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Re: I say...
We need a royalty rate of 0. It's time for reality and who should be paying who.
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Re: I say...
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Re: Re: I say...
Shouldn't you complain to PRS then?
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Re:
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This shouldn't be about what's best for rich special interest groups (ie: the RIAA and the MPAA). It should be about what's best for societies social benefit.
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"Perhaps Youtube should start charging PRS, so that content companies have to pay more to reach its users. After all, it's bleeding nearly half a billion dollars a year."
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Content vs Connectivity
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Re: Content vs Connectivity
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Prs along with the rest of them are acting like gangsters! Fuck them
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So the RIAA/MPAA/PRS are nothing more than a bunch of parasites that try to freeload off of other peoples work? They collect money from work that other people do and they do nothing for the artists or anyone but themselves? Is that what you're suggesting? What a bunch of lazy bums.
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Geez.
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Prs along with the rest of them are acting like gangsters! Fuck them
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"is now basically begging YouTube to remove the block"
Please show me where in the story that this is discussed.
It isn't.
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being optimistic are we?
i think PRS feels its getting the short end of the stick and i bet if they could sue youtube for black mail (or what ever else) that's what we would be reading about on TechDirt today.
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Re: being optimistic are we?
Well I doubt PRS has anything to sue over. Youtube decided it isn't willing to pay the rate so it isn't running the material. Now that turns out to be more painful for PRS than youtube.
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Re: Re: being optimistic are we?
I just think that they're not happy about this and decided to go along cause there was no other alternative.
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Re: Re: Re: being optimistic are we?
>to go along cause there was no other alternative.
Well it is like not being willing to meet WalMart's requirements in a town where there is only WalMart. If you want to be in the market you need to dance with the devil.
People hearing new music is the life's blood of getting any chance for people to buy new music. Screwing all your sampling venues will destroy your market.
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Re: being optimistic are we?
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Pandora
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preogrm
http://preogrm.blogspot.com/
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