YouTube, WeDebt, iTunesYeoh Siew Hoon is caught in a three-ring circus. I am in trouble with YouTube again. A video I posted has been “muted” because the track I chose to accompany it “is no longer licensed for use on YouTube”, said the email from This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . “No reply” tells me that “music licensing can be very complicated. The right to use a single song often requires permission from multiple owners, particularly when it comes to original fan-made videos that incorporate commercial music. That said, despite our constant efforts, it isn't always possible to maintain these innovative agreements, as is the case with the song used in your video.” And so my search begins for another song that I hope will remain licensed for use for a while – I feel a bit like the rabbit trying to run away from Alice, dreading the moment she will catch up and be the nuisance she turned out to be. It’s a bit like credit card debts. We spend, swept up in the power of the moment, and then spend weeks trying to run away from the reality of our spending, hoping it won’t ever catch up. But of course, it always does. Ask Satyam which claimed to earn more than it did and spent what it thought it had but really didn’t. So like all post-GFC “wiser but poorer” consumers, I decided to take destiny into my own hands and decided to cancel two out of my four credit cards. American Express was a breeze. Instant cancellation in one phone call. Standard Chartered Bank was another story. I called customer service twice, couldn’t get through. Left a voice mail. Sent an SMS. No response. One day, they called me to tell me about some money I owed them and I then told them about this non-response. They asked to visit their office. See, when they want something, they are fast. When you want something, forget it. So back to YouTube and the whole issue of copyright. At this point, I would like to thank Steve Jobs, my mother, my father and my husband (I have been watching the Golden Globe and am dreaming of becoming a Slumdog Millionaire) for having all DRM restrictions removed from iTunes. “This change means that going forward all music bought through iTunes can be played on virtually any mobile device, handheld or smartphone. Users will also be able to make as many copies of a song as they need.” Cool. DRM which stands for Digital Rights Management and not for Don’t Restrict Me was forced on Apple by some of the major music labels but it seems they have now woken up to the reality of the new world. More than 2.4 billion tracks were sold on iTunes last year. What I also like about this move is that “instead of all songs selling for 99 cents, most tracks will drop to 69 cents, but very popular ones will go up to $1.29. Slightly less popular songs will remain 99 cents.” It’s like the low cost airline model. Even cooler. Now if only YouTube could reach similar innovative agreements with those that would restrict it, that would be the coolest. |
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