I have a confession: I don’t pay for all the music I listen to. Surprised? I wouldn’t be if I heard the same thing. Though there’s a difference in my case; I don’t pirate music.
No, I’m a firm believer in the practice of using YouTube as my jukebox.
It started first as simple cataloguing. I would hear a song on the radio or from a friend that I thought sounded pretty rad, search for it on YouTube and then save it in my favorites for later. The “later” was when I had some spare change to throw at iTunes to download a copy of the song for myself.
But lately, my YouTube music library has gotten a bit large (I am a poor college student after all). Maybe Christmas will change that, and I can finally update my iPod.
Until Santa comes, my YouTube jukebox is what helps get me through my multipage papers, procrastination and general boredom. But this system is not without its problems, and whether it’s video removal, users closing their accounts or the dreaded copyright claim, I don’t respond favorably when one of my catalogued songs goes missing.
And it’s not just that the song is gone. What’s worse is YouTube never tells me what I’ve just lost, often causing me to forget what song was there and making it that much harder for me to replace.
There’s no way I can control the other users on YouTube removing their content; that’s out of my hands. But what does bother me is when artists cry copyright when they see their craft on YouTube.
I’ll give you an example of what I’ve dealt with twice. Twice, I’ve logged onto my YouTube account, flipped through my favorites and noticed two songs by the ’80s group Toto missing. Both times, on all four videos, each has been taken down by YouTube because members of Toto claimed copyright. These videos state very clearly at the top of the page in big, bold letters “Hold the Line by Toto.” Nowhere does the user who uploaded the song take any credit for Toto’s work. But no, it’s not enough for Toto, who clearly isn’t getting as big a check in the mail as it used to for its Greatest Hits albums.
Well I’ve got news for you, members of Toto. No other band is acting as childishly as you are. Do you see the Beatles, Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd getting bent out of shape over YouTube? No. Those bands might not be the “in” thing right now, but I’m sure they see users uploading their content as a revival of their music through a new medium. But what am I thinking? I shouldn’t even include you, Toto, with those great bands.
Here, Toto, let me make one suggestion if you won’t stop claiming copyright infringement. Why not make a partnership with VEVO? The company handles all of the YouTube videos of music with today’s artists, including Lady GaGa, Rihanna and even Justin Bieber. No copyright issues, no headaches for us users.
So take the hint, Toto, and get with the times. Or else, get lost.
