RIAA Strikes Again: YouTube Free Guitar Lessons Pulled in Copyright Spat

[DeSwiss]

Followup blurb on an earlier article:

YouTube Guitar Lessons Pulled in Copyright Spat

NPR Morning Edition
July 6, 2007 ·
by Frank Langfitt

Thousands of guitar students lost a valuable resource last week. The most popular guitar teacher on YouTube saw his more than 100 videos yanked from the site. The reason: a music company accused him of copyright infringement for an instructional video on how to play a Rolling Stones song.

The earlier article:

Learning Guitar for Free (for Now) on YouTube

NPR - All Things Considered
by Frank Langfitt
April 2, 2007

Let's say you want to learn to play guitar — but you don't have the time or money for lessons. Why not try YouTube? A number of people teach guitar on the video-sharing Web site, offering lessons for free. In the past few months, two teachers have posted around 200 videos that demonstrate everything from basic strumming techniques to the opening riff of "Sweet Home Alabama." So far, people around the world have watched the videos a total of more than 3.5 million times.

One of the teachers is David Taub, who lives in San Diego and often appears wearing a flannel shirt and a backwards baseball cap. A one-time bar band rocker from New Jersey, he opens each video with the same line: "What's up, good people!" His most popular video, a simplified version of the Eagles' "Hotel California," has been viewed more than 125,000 times.

The other teacher is Justin Sandercoe, who lives in London, where he teaches guitar and plays with a famous pop singer. He's a mellow presence with an impish grin. Among his song lessons is an acoustic version of Britney Spear's "Hit Me Baby One More Time" that is surprisingly affecting. The teachers play slowly and use close-ups, showing each finger movement. If you don't get it at first, you can hit replay. It's like having a teacher with endless patience.

more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11778602

*** - Now I don't want artists and musicians to get skinned by copyright infringement, because people who create deserve to be compensated for their talent and skill. But these people (lawyers) at the RIAA are just out of control. And particularly in this case. These men were working for free to help build up the music industry with new talent and these lawyers only know how to kick people in the teeth. There's got to be a better way.....

[sakabatou]

1. They're evil!

EVIL!

[DeSwiss]

8. And to think....

...I remember that after Watergate, everybody wanted to be a reporter or a lawyer. Now both professions are at the top of the "You Suck" list....

[Cooley Hurd]

2. RIAA Lawyers=Bush admin...

Welcome to Fascist Amerika.:thumbsdown:

[BushOut06]

3. The RIAA is a criminal enterprise

I wish I had the link, but some woman is counter-suing the RIAA, alleging that they used illegal tactics and methods in their pursuit of copyright infringement. One of the arguments is that the various labels are colluding together to determine who to go after, which cases to settle out of court, what compensation to seek, etc - all clear violations of the law.

[ryanmuegge]

4. Eventually, the MPA/RIAA will claim that sweep picking is intellectual property

Or Travis picking or alternate picking. Seriously, I bet techniques are next. They've already gone after tabs.

[Richard Steele]

5. This is clearly some out-of-control bullshit. But then, fascism usually is. nm

[tridim]

6. Dammit, I use youtube to figure out guitar fingering all the time.

Lawyers are going to outlaw EVERYTHING if we let them.

[Mythsaje]

7. The world of literature would be a far sadder place

if the rules the RIAA wants to enforce were enforced for the written word. Blatant copyright infringement is one thing. This is a service. And, really, how many people are listening to Hotel California these days? Wouldn't an expanded interest in the song be GOOD for sales?

Or so it seems to me.

[Trillo]

9. That song is 30 years old

Perhaps guitar teachers will have to limit themselves to music out of copyright. Bach, anyone?