YouTube

YouTube Music

On Tuesday, news broke that YouTube would begin blocking videos from artists on indie labels that had not signed on to its new terms, a set of contracts it’s making partners agree to before it launches a paid streaming service later this year. Fans and artists were understandably upset, but YouTube insisted that the majority of its partners in the music industry, over 90 percent, had already signed on. On Friday a leaked memo, obtained by The Verge from an industry source, gives the perspective of one indie label that did sign on. Believe Digital, an independent label based mostly in Europe, said that it agreed to the terms in February of 2014, after six months of negotiations. The contract covered both the preexisting YouTube service and the yet-to-be-launched paid streaming service. Critically, Believe says it was a good deal.

Read the full story at The Verge.

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