YouTube row: Will music fans lose out?

By Greg Cochrane
Newsbeat music reporter

Newsbeat looks at the impact on fans as a row between PRS and YouTube sees all professional music videos removed from the website.

YouTube has removed all professional music videos

As of 6pm Monday [9 March] every professional music video began being removed from YouTube.

The move came after a row between the video website and PRS [Performing Rights Society].

The two could not agree on a new license which details how much artists should be paid when their video is watched.

The impact cannot be underestimated, almost half of the top 24 most-viewed videos of all time on the site were professional music videos.

Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love clip was ranked the highest with over 83 million views.

Still available

However, YouTube say it will take time to remove the videos. Right now many official clips are still available.

Search Britney Spears or Oasis and their official videos can still be viewed.

Alongside MTV, YouTube is one of the most popular areas for people to discover new music. It is the Google - incidentally Google owns You Tube - of the music video world.

Why is YouTube blocking UK music videos?

As recent as February a survey by Marrakesh Records and Human Capital of a 1,000 15-24 year-olds rated YouTube as the most popular way to discover new music [38%] followed by MySpace [15%] and official artist sites.

The site's prodigious reach has seen more and more artists use the service to debut their videos.

In 2008 Sigur Ros took over the video channel to screen their new documentary.

Repercussions

Currently, it's a lose lose situation.

YouTube have started removing much of their most popular content, PRS hasn't negotiated royalties for their artists and fans will have to turn to alternative places to watch the latest video from their favourite acts.

The fall out, if not resolved, could have frustrating consequences.

An inconvenience more than anything else - music fans will head to other outlets to find music videos.

MySpace, official sites and unofficial clips [some still posted on YouTube] provide easy alternative outlets.

We feel we are so far apart that we have to remove content while we continue to negotiate with the PRS Patrick Walker, director of video partnerships, YouTube

Despite the setback users will find ways to find clips of their favourite artists.

YouTube phenomenons or viral videos - such as Ok Go's Here It Goes Again - will have to find other paths to popularity.

No resolution

Right now the dispute has not been resolved.

YouTube's director of video partnerships Patrick Walker stating: "There are two obstacles in these negotiations: prohibitive licensing fees and lack of transparency.

"Under PRS's proposed terms we would lose significant amounts of money with every playback."

It's not known if, or indeed when, the content will return to the site as discussions continue.