Simon Cowell's Confusion: YouTube Should Pay; YouTube Helped Sell Millions Of Albums
from the cognitive-dissonance? dept
We were amazed a few months back when a variety of press reports started surfacing after Susan Boyle became famous via a YouTube clip, claiming what a shame it was that no one was monetizing that video. That whole thing seemed preposterous. YouTube provided free software, free hosting and free distribution and turned Susan Boyle into a world famous star, overnight. As we noted at the time, if you can't monetize that in some other manner, you don't belong in business. And, indeed, as tons of folks have reported, Susan Boyle's first album has been a massive top seller -- the best opening week selling album of the year, and the best opening for a "debut" album in sixteen years. And, yes, much of the reason that anyone knows of her existence is because of the clip on YouTube.But would you believe that people are still complaining about YouTube's role in all of this? Rob points us to an interview with Simon Cowell, who demonstrates stunning cognitive dissonance in both slamming and praising YouTube in two contradictory consecutive sentences:
Cowell also spoke of the popularity of Susan Boyle's Britain's Got Talent audition, which saw her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream viewed 100 million times in its initial days on YouTube - without any kickback for him.So, wait, is he upset or not? Would he have preferred that YouTube had not shown the video which it didn't pay for, and a very small number of people knew of Susan Boyle? Or is he happy that he got free hosting, free software, free bandwidth and free promotional value that helped him sell 10 million of her albums? Maybe he should be paying Google...
"That will change," he told GQ. Because, eventually, if YouTube are not paying, they're not getting the clip.
"But at the moment I'm very happy to get promotion around the world. She'll sell 10 million albums this year because of YouTube."
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Filed Under: free, promotion, simon cowell, susan boyle, youtube
Companies: google, youtube
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Maybe...
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http://www.facepalm.com/page/Ascii-Facepalms.aspx
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Maybe he should pay Google
Once a video with corporate backing hits a certain viewership count or rate, YT can start demand money, or it will block users from seeing the content. We'll see how they like that.
Disclaimer: This is probably a terrible idea. Both parties are better off just taking the mutual benefits without money directly changing hands. Can't we all just get along(tail)?
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You got the headline wrong
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We are raising a generation of thieves! A society of stealers! A cabal of copyright infringers, wait, that one doesn't have the same moral heft as the other two.
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I'm leaning towards satire with this one...
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Simon indirectly shows the application of the double standard being applied towards copyright between these interests. It's quite simple: We won't enforce copyright until it's no longer a hot item and we take our marketing people elsewhere. When we stop devoting marketing dollars, then by golly, someone's rights are being infringed and we will enforce our copyright.
You need to understand that the Marketing People often have rights to create buzz and chatter, and if they get a hot lead like Suzanne Boyle, they may also claim such organic success as a result of their own effort and not willing to really admit that it's buzz from the very onset was quite organic in nature.
When the marketing budget is exhausted, and people continue to talk about it, by gum, that's an infringement of someone's copyrights, and someone has to pay for facilitating this free advertisement.
Perhaps the problem is that Simon hasn't paid into a marketing budget to promote Suzanne Boyle yet is paying hand-over-fist to the same or similar marketing company that made Suzanne Boyle famous expecting similar results. Thusly, someone has to pay handsomely for these rights.
But that's really not it, because it's not an organic strategy. It's the old Cart-before-the-horse problem.
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Re: Climate
> have stood a chance.
Neither would the automobile. The BIAA (Blacksmithing Industry Association of America) would have lobbied their congressmen to pass protectionist laws banning the automobile because it would destroy the market for horseshoes and buggy whips.
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Radio pays fees to use music, they don't get it for free. There isn't even the slightest whiff of logic to your statement.
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If Youtube had just been charging all of these years, no one would suggest that they need to pay anyone for the use of the clip, someone would have been paying them for distribution. You know like how I constantly see American Idol clips on TV in an attempt to get me to watch the show.
There's absolutely no flaw in this plan, other than the issue with no one visiting youtube.
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The same thing could have been said about radio. But yet, no one complained about radio being free or getting a free ride back when Elvis, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones were selling millions of albums based upon their radio play.
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But I've never heard that the seller of phonographs, i.e., the music labels, complaining about airplay. There's this thing called payola. Despite what you may have heard, it did not start in the 50s. For as long as music was played on the radio, the people selling the music were willing to pay for the play.
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He knew what he was saying...
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wait...
I think he realized that YouTube made money (page hits = $$ ) off the Susan Boyle video as well and that in the future, he might find a way to monetize that by making YouTube (or something similar) pay him for that. But as it is now, he's glad to let YouTube promote his upcoming talent.
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Re: wait...
I saw that video and after watching it I saw other videos from the show and watched them. I payed attention to the results of the show. I sent the link to my friends and family. Hell, I'm buying my mom her CD for Christmas b/c she loved that clip so much.
I'm Canadian, and had it not been for that clip they wouldn't have gotten a record sale from me b/c I would have no idea who Susan Boyle is. How many of the sales has Simon received b/c of this YouTube clip? I'm sure I'm not the only one!
At the end of the day, he needs to ask himself if the free advertising he received from YouTube (or anywhere else) helped him sell more records, and if he could have paid for that type of advertisement with the same results. And the answer, in this case, is no. He reached a much larger audience because of YouTube, and in my opinion, shouldn't be looking at the proverbial gift horse in the mouth.
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Perhaps Simon didn't want to make money
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I dont see anywhere where he says "I want them to pay" or an opinion in the least on the current state. Just speculation that in the future someone will successfully force youtube to pay for clips.
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So Simon should be thankful for the free exposure, reap the benefits of the album, dvd, tour, sales and move on... honestly without the youtube exposure I am willing to bet that when ever Susan performed on the show there were increased viewers as well.
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I dont see any conflict
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It doesn't matter the "good" that is done, if the "good" isn't wanted, then they don't have the right to do it.
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For goodness sakes...
Oh, and he knows nothing of the internet.
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Same thing applies to all this entitlement culture: someone else is making money, we must stop that. No matter if they're actually helping US make money also, the trick is to win the money ourselves and prevent their enrichment at the same time.
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Youtube has a procedure...
And in response to the AC comment: "No matter how much good youtube did for Susan Boyle, it also did good for YouTube and Google (ad sales, exposure, etc). If You Tube wants to use a copyrighted clip, they need to pay. It's a pretty simple thing.
You once again fail. There is nothing that says copyrighted clips must be paid for. All that is needed is credit and permission. The law says nothing about a "need to pay".
P.S. I find it quite amusing that in one comment you used YoutTube three times and managed to spell it three different ways.
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Re: Youtube has a procedure...
YouTube is like any other user of music or copyrighted material, they are obliged to pay a usage fee. Many people waive that usage fee by uploading in a sort of creative commons or copyleft way, although most of them are infringing on someone else's work when they do it.
It is still an ongoing process, but the basics are there: If you want to use copyrighted material, you have to pay for the rights. What that cost is, well, that is subject to negotiation. But nobody gets a free ride, unless the right holders decide so.
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Blank Slate
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