Madonna pulled from YouTube

Madonna's record label is pulling her videos from YouTube.com

Several artists, including Madonna, Led Zeppelin and James Blunt, are seeing their videos vanish from the popular video sharing website (one of my favorites as well!) YouTube, following a dispute between their record company and the site, reports FemaleFirst.

Management at Warner Music has decided to remove the artists' promotional videos, after negotiations failed for a new contract with site's owners regarding downloading rights. "We simply cannot accept terms that fail to appropriately and fairly compensate recording artists, songwriters, labels and publishers for the value they provide," folks at Warner Music stated.

But let's hold up for just a second...Time out! everyone back to there own corners...

Not fairly compensating What the artists, songwriters, labels and publishers provide? What about what the website DOES provide to them? it can be argued that today, more then music videos on MTV/MuchMusic, or the radio... People are turning to the web for information on the newest releases by the artists. Youtube is an invaluable marketing source for the artists, labels and publishers in getting the word out about the newest hits. One of the best things about it? It costs nothing to upload the videos as opposed to buying airtime on the television and radio stations. They are also able to reach a far wider audience through the website then they would have through the television and radio spots (where they would have to hope that people are listening to those particular stations, or are tuned to those particular channels at the time that the videos and songs are airing) With Youtube, people would be coming online looking for them, guaranteeing that the video is seen, and the song is heard.

Instead of arguing with each other, and complaining back and forth, instead recognize that in the 2.0 world that this is the way to now reach there intended audience and embrace it.
Instead of complaining when public users are posting videos of there favorite musicians hottest videos, the artists, labels and publishers need to "beat them to the punch" :

- Have there own account on youtube.com

- Upload the videos on there own when new songs and videos are released, or promotional videos when one is about to come out, create a real buzz about it, give people a taste of the upcoming release.

- Watermark each of there own videos so that people know that this is an official, approved release by the artist / label / publisher.

- promote there other videos and artists through there accounts, as I said before, no real worry about the videos not being seen because people that WANT to see them, WILL come see them!

The same people that are viewing the videos on youtube, are the same people that are going to the concerts, buying the tickets, filling the seats, buying the merchandise, standing in long lines for when there favorite artists are in town for any reason, be it a concert, an autograph signing, or just there!

These fans are what "make" the artists.

They are the ones who decide who's hot, and who's not.

Without these fans buying the tickets, without them filling the seats at the concerts, the merchandise, being at autograph signings... The artist wouldn't have a career, they'd be a bust!

Youtube has kept alive, elongated (and maybe, in some cases, even revived) the careers of some of these artists.

It can be argued (quite strongly) that without youtube, many of these artists's (including some of the ones that are complaining about there music being on the popular website) careers would already be over. Considered a part of the past, With the way entertainment is now, with youth being a really big thing (you may not want to, but you have to admit it, youth rules the industry)

These artists are still around, in part due to the popularity of Youtube.
The fans that have been following them throughout there careers over the years and decades, have continued to follow them, and kept them as popular as ever, online.

You can still find older hits from the artists (arguably there best, or more better work) on youtube.

Youtube is another reason why Elvis, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and so many others still have growing fan bases even today, on the heels of 2009!

But for now... The gloves are off...