Irving Azoff Threatens To Remove 20,000 Songs From YouTube
Music mogul Irving Azoff has damned YouTube’s recently launched video streaming service, threatening to remove music by the artists he manages from the platform over “trampling of writer’s rights”.
Names including Pharell Williams, The Eagles, Boston, Foreigner, John Lennon and Smokey Robinson represent some 20,000 copyrighted works looked after by Azoff.
The former Live Nation chairman recently launched Global Music Rights, a company aimed at fighting for higher performance royalty rights for songwriters via direct licensing deals with digital services.
“The way fans listen to music is evolving daily,” says Azoff. “GMR is going to give songwriters and publishers an opportunity to engage in meaningful licensing for their intellectual property. The trampling of writers’ rights in the digital marketplace without any regard to their contribution to the creative process will no longer be tolerated.”
Azoff’s business partner Randy Grimmett has suggested that there needs to be parity between rates offered to recording rights companies and publishers/songwriters.
YouTube Music Key is said to have all the major labels and “hundreds of indies on board” but not without tension. The independent community fought hard against what were said to be “highly unfavourable” licensing terms offered by the Google-owned company.
Sources:
Music Week
Hollywood Reporter
