Story in the Globe & Mail yesterday documents the gradual licensing of YouTube.
The biggest content holders already have forced YouTube to license their content. Now a music producers association in the USA has joined the suit on behalf of a broader range of producers. YouTube makes noises about how producers should appreciate the exposure YouTube gives them, but that’s missing the point. This is simply a negotiation about price, so that a fraction of the revenue of YouTube will actually flow to those who provide the value. It’s about a collective licensing regime, really — access and rights. Here comes the future.