Sixx:A.M. Calls Out Google CEO Larry Page

Sixx:A.M. Calls Out Google CEO Larry Page

LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Dear Mr. Page,

The sound of musicians knocking on YouTube's door demanding change is growing ever louder.

Recently, as a result of action and statements made by artists as diverse as Sixx:A.M., Debbie Harry, Nelly Furtado, Jay Z, Garth Brooks, Katy Perry, Stephen Tyler and Billy Joel, YouTube's CBO Robert Kyncl met with independent artist representatives and asked them to help pause this protest in return for action.

No action has been taken, meetings have been postponed, emails remain unanswered. The lack of action has hit a sour note with musicians, so we will be RENEWING OUR PROTESTS and taking the issue into our own hands.

So we are now appealing to you Mr. Page, as a saxophone player who ironically credits his love of music as the inspiration behind the success of the worlds most valuable company, to step up. As the man who coined the slogans, 'Don't Be Evil' and 'Do The Right Thing,' we want you take your own advice before irreparable damage is done to the future of artists around the world. Artists from every genre are finding it impossible to pursue their art in a world dominated by YouTube.

Without changes, young musicians will no longer be able to make music for a living and the next generation of fans will be robbed of great artists. Dreams of breaking into the music industry will effectively be unattainable.

In case you have not heard, here is a summary of complaints:


-- YouTube unfairly pays artists and labels an estimated 1/6 of what its
competitors, Spotify and Apple pay
-- Recent data revealed that vinyl sales contribute more to the music
industry than advert funded streaming services, a market which YouTube
dominates
-- YouTube claims to have paid $3 billion to the music industry to date.
Spotify contributed $1 billion alone in 2015 according to the IFPI and
while Spotify pays $18 per user per year, YouTube pays less than $1
-- Even these funds are released only if the artist has a deal with
YouTube, but unlike other services, the artist cannot choose whether
they are on YouTube or not. Much of their material has already been
illegally uploaded.
-- Artists are faced with a choice: Either license content to YouTube for a
fraction of what should be paid and enjoy limited protection from
YouTube's content ID systems or be forced to issue take down notices for
every single infringement on the system. Many including 5 time Grammy
Award winning composer Maria Sneider, argue that this amounts to
racketeering
(https://musictechpolicy.com/2016/05/15/guest-post-by-schneidermaria-ope
n-letter-to-youtube-pushers-of-piracy/)
-- This disproportionately affects independent and new artists who have
their copyrights illegally exploited for free and cannot make a living
from the music they create
-- YouTube make a big show of offering to pay legal fees for users wrongly
hit with 'take down' orders, while offering no protection to the vast
majority of artists whose material is illegally uploaded
(http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/19/9760370/youtube-copyright-legal-fees
). They name and shame copyright holders who ask for their illegally
uploaded material to be taken down. This actively encourages illegal
uploads
-- The antiquated Safe Harbor provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright
Act (DMCA) allows YouTube to operate in this way, protected from
prosecution for illegal uploads while basing its business model on them
-- The total 2015 revenue of Google was $75 billion. The total annual
revenue of the global music business, in comparison, is less than $15
billion. And yet music is the biggest driver of YouTube's business - 82%
of users are on YouTube to access music (IFPI). Google makes money from
selling its users' data to advertisers including those consuming music
on YouTube
Mr. Page, in Fortune magazine you stated that you felt that your 'music training lead to the high speed legacy of Google'. Plenty of musicians are hoping for a high speed resolution to this dispute and to this unfair system.

Please act before it is too late.

Sixx:A.M. - James Michael, Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba and artists worldwide

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SOURCE Sixx:A.M

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Sixx:A.M

CONTACT: Rachel Rosenberg, 212-293-8430, rachelr@elevensevenmusic.com


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