Just out of idle curiosity, I searched youtube for Prince videos and the only ones I found were the ones that were put up by Universal Music Group, when they were trying to garner interest in 3121, months ago!

If he doesn't want his stuff on youtube because he's protecting his image, it's his right, youtube's making money off the advertising...yada, yada, yada! Why are those videos STILL there?

I'd post the links to back this up but well...you know!

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Universal also prevents you from embedding video... Please stop the hate. We love Prince here. His work is his property and he has every right to distribute it the way he wants to.

I don't know. It's crazy. It's like, the stuff that's there and legit, he's fine with, but all the illegal stuff, that's not allowed.

What is he on?

pplrain said:

I still love his music but that won't stop me from calling it like I see it! I just wanted to point out the glaring detail that's gonna get Web Sheriff laughed out of court! Don't mind me!

If Prince authorised Universal to use Youtube to post a promotional video, then it's not hypocritical. It would be Prince choosing to do with his property what he wishes. In the past, he has:authorised either streaming or download of his work from time to time from his own site and others, even including the likes of Napster, Sometimes downloads have been for free, and sometimes he has charged.

Why the heck is anybody still looking on youtube for Prince videos??

wlcm2thdwn said:

That's right! I only watch DVDs with the good quality.

langebleu said:

I adore you, Langbleu and I value your opinions probably more than anybody else's on this board but in this case, we're going to have to agree to disagree.

You can't sue somebody for faulty business practices while STILL trying to utilize their services! It'll come down to either he has a problem with how YouTube operates or he doesn't and since the videos put up by UMG are still up. He obviously doesn't.

He just wants to be the ONLY one allowed to put his stuff up. Which is not now nor has it ever been the foundation of how YouTube operates.

Would he allow Warner Bros. to dictate what he could and could not put up from his back catalog on 3121.com?

There is no hypocrisy. Prince can post his own vids. The thing is the rest of us can't, because we don't own the copyright. If you post Prince vids to Youtube you are technicaly violating Youtube's official policy. Prince is just saying Youtube should do more to prevent fans from using their site to pirate his work.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

What's wrong with wanting to dictate how his stuff is distributed?
If he stipulates how he wants his stuff shown and YouTube strays from his conditions, he has every right to sue them. If they get it right, then he has every right to continue to use them(YouTube).

If Prince was an up and coming artist, he would be using utube and the likes to push his music.


In an effort to protect his own stuff, he maybe messing it up for new artists.


Its his right but it doesn't make it right.

Rhondab said:

Oh but at this very moment, he IS using YouTube!! Hence the hypocrisy!

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Rhondab said:

Now where I come from
We don't give a damn
We do whatever we please
It ain't about no downtown
Nowhere bound
Narrow-minded drag
It's all about being free

© Prince
oops, almost forgot
[Edited 9/19/07 9:05am]

SexyBeautifulOne said:

He's fighting an uphill battle he will ultimately lose-- check that, he may win the battle but he'd lose the war-- but he is within his rights. He should be able to control how his music is used by those who attempt to profit from it. Period.

I'm assuming, of course, that youtube makes some kind of profit.

Rhondab said:

Where is there hypocrisy???

Prince's point of view seems to be that things put up on Youtube should either

a) not be copyright-protected

or

b) if copyright protected, be put up by the owner or a party allowed to do so by the copyright owner.

That's exactly what he is trying to enforce for HIS stuff. For stuff of other artists, he can't sue anyone's ass as he doesn't own the copyright which is violated. Whatever action others take, is none of his business. Also, he's not trying to shut Youtube down, he's simply trying to make them enforce site rules THEY have made and which already exist, but, for some reason, are largely ignored. I don't see how that affects any other artist trying to use Youtube for whatever in whatever way.

If you think that Prince's move isn't smart (publicity-wise or what else), so be it, but there's just too much fuss being created about this whole story by some fans imo.

YouTube are glorified pirates. Take the illegal stuff away and you've got nerds putting sweets into coke bottles and fake videos from "troubled" girls.

Prince isn't the only artist suing them for breach of copyright.

1p1p1i3 said:

1p1p1i3 said:

The ironic thing is that, as far as I am aware, Prince isn't even suing them.

The BBC has got as far as legal proceedings in the US.

All Prince appears to have done is, through the services of Web Sheriff, insist that the likes of YouTube take further action to remove unauthorised material from their websites where this gives rise to breach of copyright. There is simply the possibility of legal action being considered as a next step.

Some parts of the press have interpreted this as 'Prince to sue Google'.
.

hypocrisy thy name is human

1p1p1i3 said:

I'm so glad I didn't let prince know about all the times I use to record his music from the radio back in the day.

There is no hyprocrisy here. Prince never said Youtube was a "bad" thing or that Youtube should not be up and running. Prince has simply said that Youtube should do more to check material that is placed on Youtube for copyright content. There are laws governing copyrighted material, that an individual may not use that material without explicit permission from the owner of the copyright. While we may purchase cd's of his music, we can in no way use that music for anything other than personal enjoyment. If you watch a movie it states in the beginning about federal laws that are in place to prevent someone from using that material in any way, except for private viewing, and that it may not be distributed in anyway without express written permission from the owner of the movie. It is the same with music. We can purchase his cd's for private usage, but we cannot distribute that music in anyway outside of that private usage without permission from Prince. When you take one of his songs, create a video around it, put it on Youtube, you are in essence in violation of copyright laws if you do not have his permission to do so. And THAT is what Prince is fighting with Youtube over, to make sure that copyright laws are not being violated (even by fans).

SexyBeautifulOne said:

If you have'nt figured it out, p will do anything for a buck!

pplrain said:

There it is right there. Prince is gonna do what Prince is gonna do. PERIOD.

Rhondab said:

Are you saying Prince has no right to a say in how he gets paid for his own material?

Rhondab said:

[Edited 9/20/07 11:37am]