YouTube Strikes Deal for Music Videos
YouTube, the ever popular video-sharing website that nearly everyone with a computer and internet access uses, has reached an agreement with Performing Rights Society (PRS), the songwriters’ group that collects royalties on behalf of music publishers, composers and songwriters, to lift the ban of music videos from their site. Neither the website or PRS have disclosed the amount of the deal, which was backdated until January and will end in 2012.
This agreement comes after over 9 months of arguing since the last license deal expired. According to PRS, YouTube was offering significantly less than what they wanted. However, YouTube claimed that the group’s proposal was unsustainable. The result of this argument was the ban of over 10,000 premium music videos related to the group’s members on the video-sharing site in the UK in March.
YouTube director of video partnerships Patrick Walker says that they set out to find a satisfactory way for everyone in getting the videos back. It has taken some time, he added, but YouTube, the writers and consumers have all won from the agreement. PRS broadcast and online managing director Andrew Shaw said that it’s regrettable that they had to take the videos down, but it was important that their members were rewarded for their work.
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors chairman Sarah Rodgers commented on the deal, saying that it’s a landmark for a site generated by user content. They think this is great, because it’s important for sites like YouTube to be licensed and that creative music is recognized and paid for appropriately.