Internet media site YouTube has lifted a block on British users after coming to an agreement with PRS For Music.
The music industry is changing everyday. The impact of the the internet’s explosive growth has left record labels reeling, with many suggesting that alternative methods of income must be found.
The dilemma facing record labels has impacted on YouTube. One of the web’s most popular sites, YouTube offers users streaming media content – much of which is copyrighted by the labels themselves.
A dispute over the rights to these videos, and the possibility of the acts in question receiving royalties from the plays led to a massive dispute between YouTube and British artists group PRS For Music.
Earlier this year talks between the two parties broke down with YouTube blocking huge amounts of content from UK users. Causing a massive schism in the music industry the row escalated far out of control.
Now, however, all seems to be rosy. In a new deal YouTube is set to pay PRS For Music a new settlement, backdated until January and lasting until 2012. PRS For Music spokesman Adam Shaw told BBC News that he was delighted an agreement had been reached.
“We have 60,000 song-writer and composer members and many of them don’t earn very much money at all – 90% of them earn less then £5,000 a year,” he said.
“The money we receive is really their living.”
YouTube’s Patrick Walker confirmed that the company were pleased with the deal. Speaking to the BBC he said “the music videos are an extremely popular part of YouTube and this deal doesn’t only cover the music videos but also music included in TV programmes like the X Factor and also for the inclusion of music in user videos as well”.
