YouTube Germany Pulls Music Videos

German users of YouTube have, like the rest of us, been subjected to the upside-down display prank Google scheduled for April 1st. Unfortunately for them, music videos have also been pulled from the German version of the site, and this move looks to be serious and long-lasting.

Remember how YouTube and the UK’s Performing Rights Society for Music couldn’t come to an agreement on licensing fees last month? Well, substitute "GEMA" for "PRS," understand that a contract expired at the end of March, and you’ll get a good idea of what happened here.

A Bild.de article reported, "GEMA spokeswoman Bettina Muller said that her organisation initially suggested that YouTube be charged 1 cent per song played. . . . Google’s Kay Oberbeck called GEMA’s demands ‘completely unacceptable’ because YouTube would be making a loss with every video played."

As a result, the article continued, "Now that their contract in Germany has run out, they are banned from showing videos unless they can come to an agreement with GEMA."

Neither side seems ready to budge so far. Maybe Germany’s version of MTV will benefit from the squabble, at least.

There are 5 Comments. Add Yours.

music videos
May 17, 2009 at 6:33 pm

As a consequence to these actions, people may be turning to MTV to watch music videos for the first time since 1994.
Leila
May 18, 2009 at 4:43 pm

That won’t happen at all, MTV is a dead music channel, they just make commercial trash t.v…it has been years since anyone turned to them for music videos. Also music channels don’t play what you want but general music and classics. And I’m guessing the problem is NOT that someone likes the video but that they use it to listen to the song and thus don’t buy the song!

Although it is a silly rule to introduce, if someone likes a song now they will just download on limewire or go elsewhere as music has been illegally shared and bootlegged since way back when.

If the song is good enough, I’m sure people will buy it or go see the band in support. Personally for me, I do use youtube and download until I can afford to support the artist.
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