YouTube's
Support for Musicians Comes With Requirements To Become
Google's Bitch
By
Lucas
Shaw
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Artists are said to be asked to sign non-disparagement clauses
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Google-owned site has been working to improve relations
YouTube
has asked musicians to agree not to disparage the
streaming-video service in exchange for promotional support,
according to people familiar with the matter, a way to quell
persistent criticism by artists.
In
recent months, YouTube has given a handful of musicians a
couple hundred thousand dollars to produce videos and promoted
their work on billboards, part of a larger campaign to improve
the site’s relationship with the music industry.
Yet
such support comes with a catch, with some musicians required
to promise the won’t say negative things about YouTube, said
the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private
business transactions. Non-disparagement agreements are common
in business, but YouTube’s biggest direct competitors in music
don’t require them, the people said.
YouTube’s
non-disparagement agreements go beyond a requirement not to
criticize the video site, one of the people said, without
going into detail. YouTube requires many partners to agree to
such conditions, including creators who make original series
for its paid service, the person said.
YouTube
has taken extra precautions in recent deals due to an incident
with director Morgan Spurlock. Spurlock caught YouTube
off-guard when headmitted in
December to sexual misconduct just three months after the
company acquired the rights to release his latest film, a
sequel to the Oscar-nominated documentary “Super Size Me.”
YouTube
has more reason to worry about artists’ public comments than
most companies. Songwriters and artists have assailed the site
for what they view as meager revenue-sharing and poor
protections against piracy. Dozens of musicians signed a petition in
2016 rebuking free music services and pushing for Congress to
make YouTube more responsible for policing copyright
violations.
Senior
executives at YouTube fumed about the letter, and privately
insisted artists and managers supported the company. Musicians
like Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift only signed the letter at
the behest of record labels seeking better deal terms in
negotiations, people familiar with the matter said at the
time. The company has also countered criticism by saying it
has paid more than $1 billion to the music industry, and
bolstered its policing of material infringing copyrights.
Artists
including rapper G-Eazy and Puerto Rican reggaeton artist
Ozuna have worked with YouTube to promote their music,
appearing on billboards, behind-the-scenes videos and documentaries.
Perry performed at a YouTube event last year and made a
high-profile live-streaming videowith
the company.
In
December 2016, the video site, owned by Alphabet
Inc.’s Google, hired record executive Lyor Cohen to
improve its relationship with the music business. Cohen was a divisive pick,
but YouTube mended fences enough to sign long-term deals in
the past few months with the world’s three largest music
companies.
The
agreements gave YouTube the rights needed for a paid music
service it plans to introduce later this year. The company
hopes the new offering will mute record labels’ complaints
about its payments to the industry. If the service fails to
lure subscribers, those labels are unlikely to remain silent
-- whether their artists can speak up or not.