You’ve probably heard about the spat between YouTube/Google and the Performing Rights Society (PRS). The PRS have launched a new site - fairplayforcreators.com - which aims to highlight the issues of online earnings. Pete Waterman is quoted as receiving a massive £11 for over 100 million views of ‘Never going to give you up’, while poor old Mark Kelly from Marillion only made 0.6p from 10 million views of his band’s videos. In the meantime, Google continues to make revenue from advertising on the very same pages as these videos. Gone are the days when videos were promotional tools to encourage album or single sales - those sales are through the floor. In the newly-emerging music business these digital channels will all take-on new significance as potential income streams for artists. If music video has value to Google in driving ad revenue then it is a resource that should be rewarded fairly. Without seeing the figures it is difficult to determine what that rate should be, but given some of the headline figures we’re hearing you can’t help but feel that at present music makers are getting a raw deal. If you’re involved in creating music, make sure your voice is heard.
