In a quest to “reclaim his art on the Internet,” singer and musician Prince is going to sue sites like YouTube and eBay over unauthorized use of his work. Fans (and haters?) upload his videos and auction copies of his CDs and other merchandise in violation of his copyright, he claims. (Source)
In a post titled The Long Tail of Independence, I said that Prince was wasting his time and money. I advised him to embrace technology and use it to his advantage. How?
Make a “content agreement” with YouTube, and share the wealth. YouTube’s content is “created” by users. Part of what makes the YouTube model successful is that users have the run of the place, sort of like the blogosphere. They have a “stake” in the business. In a Web 2.0 universe, we create the content, and that content connects us to one another in ways no one even imagined 10 years ago. Just short of shutting down the Internet, there’s no way to stop these connections from forming. That’s what Prince is trying to do. Instead, he should create his own official channel on YouTube (like others) and profit from it.
As the video “Web 2.0…The Machine is Us/ing Us” showed us, we’ll need to rethink issues in the Web 2.0 universe like copyright and authorship. After all, no one should be allowed to use your work product without your permission, let alone profit from it. But how can YouTube police millions of users? This sounds cliche, but Prince needs to go with the flow and work with developing technology instead of trying to stop it. The dam is broken, baby.
While I can understand why Prince is suing YouTube and eBay, I can’t believe he’s threatening to sue his fans. From the Guardian:
[Prince's] lawyers have forced his three biggest internet fansites to remove all photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything linked to the artist’s likeness. A legal letter asks the fansites to provide “substantive details of the means by which you propose to compensate our clients [Paisley Park Entertainment Group, NPG Records and AEG] for damages”.
…
A coalition named Prince Fans United, representing Housequake.com, Princefans.com and Prince.org, has been formed by the website organisers to fight back. They said they would contest the action on the basis that it was an attempt “to stifle all critical commentary about Prince”. They added that the “cease and desist” notices went as far as calling for the removal of pictures taken by fans of their Prince tattoos and their vehicles carrying Prince-inspired licence plates.
Prince, dude, how could you sue your fans? Do you know how difficult it is to build a loyal fanbase? Bad form, even if you’re a big enough star not to need a loyal fanbase to sell out concerts.
I’m not a Prince fan anymore, but what he’s doing is worth mentioning. I’m certain there are other artists thinking about suing YouTube and eBay. They’re just waiting and watching to see what happens.
By the way, “La Shawn Barber’s Corner” officially is no longer a political blog, although I’ll continue to follow topics like illegal “immigration” and government policy as it affects free speech on the Internet and the like. Adjust your blogrolls (add, delete, or change category) and RSS feeds (subscribe or unsubscribe) accordingly.
So what is LBC, exactly? Evolving. Yeah, that works. Four years of complaining about politicians and nitpicking every word they say or write has gotten old. Until I figure out this blog’s theme – if I figure it out – I’ll cover topics like faith, culture, digital technology (how it affects music sales, books, blogs, the long tail, etc.), and, occasionally, how these three things intersect.
This changing of the guards is also an experiment. I expect to lose the readership of people who followed my political ranting. As it is, my traffic stats are half what they were this time last year, and I expect lower numbers in the coming months. Will I be able to gain a new audience while blogging about faith, culture, and digital technology? Of course, but it will take time. Writing about what excites me, and not necessarily what’s popular, is the goal.
Comments are open. What’s on your mind?
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