Contact Warner Music

hoosierhiver

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
12,319
Reaction score
44
Location
Brown County Indiana
Everyone probably is already aware of the recent problems with Warner Music/Youtube.

I know some of you also visit guitar or other music forums. I'd like to encourage everyone to help spread this link and encourage others to let Warner Music how we feel.

http://www.wmg.com/contact
 
great link! here's my letter

I wanted to express my disappointment over WMG's takedown notices over several ukulele cover songs in your catalog. I play ukulele and these videos not only serve to encourage my hobby, but have been a great tool for music discovery. These ukulele covers cannot possibly duplicate the complexity of a full studio recording, and the artist's who upload them profit in no way. These uploads serve to point me to new artists which you produce, and only serve to help your business as I pursue and purchase music from artists I would have otherwise not known about. These youtube covers only serve to help you, not hurt you. Please consider leaving hobbyists and their covers alone, as they only serve as viral marketing for you. Thank you.
 
Here's mine with a solution...
Gentlemen,
While I do support your right to protect your interests about the current YouTube song cover removals, I feel you are going about it the wrong way. If I might suggest a more friendly solution, instead of forcing the removal of some really good interpretations of great music, either, offer to let people do covers for a small fee, or better yet, offer a link to the music in question from the original artists with an option to the consumer to purchase the original song. I think the latter move would not only erase the bad press you ARE recieving, it would open up a whole new cash stream for your corporation, which is obviously in need of every sale you can get. This would be a win/win situation for you and would encourage great songs to become even more popular. Since todays market can be fickle, older songs could get a new life and become in demand again. Instead of losing money just tracking these cover artists down and removing thier works, you could be making money through them! Thank you for your attention in this matter.
:anyone:
 
I would advise to keep your e-mails brief on this by the way. Whoever is getting this will notice the number of e-mails rather than how well positioned your stance is.
 
I'd be more likely to tell them to get their heads out of their collective a$$es so they can see the mess they've made of their own feet by shooting them off! It's a uke fer crying out loud, not as noted a full studio session. If anything if a viewer likes the song they will tend to seek out the original.Just makes me want to support Warner's artists as little as possible, and I'd be more inclined to get a song they own through file sharing than through buying it because of this.
 
I think folks writing Warner Music is a good start. Passing the message on to other music forums and interested parties makes it even better. Businesses and some percentage of musicians are like most of us. They want the most they can get.

Last night after reading Seeso's post about copyright infringement notices on his covers posted on YouTube is sad at least to me. I'll pass on going into the litany of what's wrong with the practice. Instead focusing on what can be done to help change this practice. Most intelligent corporations want to avoid bad public relations. Primarily because it cuts into their bottom line.

What I think would be effective is to start a website based on Music to Boycott. The website would have 3 categories. By corporation, musician, and song. Then a link to show the copyright infringement notice put out by YouTube of the specific cover.

This would enable folks purchasing music to have reference to 'greedy to a fault' music. It will also show corporations and musicians that lists are being compiled for easy reference to the consumer community. Which in turn might very well impact their sales and consequently their bottom line.

There will naturally be folks arguing that excerpts of the actual recorded songs and/or videos that have gotten copyright infringement notices should also be listed. Many of the arguments will be powerful. But I strongly believe that in the end just listing those covers that have gotten copyright notice violations would be the most powerful.

Word of this website could be spread through music forums and emails to interested people. I imagine that there exist a population of folks that play multiple instruments.

Have a Great Day,
Jim
 
To Warner Music:

You companies policies of filing copyright infringement notices of folks who are hobbyist musicians and playing your songs are hurting your bottom line. I haven't seen one positive comment by folks buying your production based on this policy. But I have seen a LOT of negative comments and undoubtedly will translate to reduced sales for you. Me being one.

People trying to pick out pieces on a harmonica, guitar, ukulele, or whatever. Do you really expect they will cut into your sales? Au contraire. Their attempts at particular pieces might refire interest in the piece. Resulting in new purchases for you.


 
Here is what I wrote;

I want to express my disappointment at Warner demanding that people remove videos that show amature musicians playing, enjoying, and sharing their interpretations of songs they love....songs which Warner happens to own the publishing rights. I am a ukulele player and I learn from others on Youtube.....ukulele players profit in no way from posting a video to share their abilites (or lack thereof).

It seems that in Warner's effort to protect publishing rights, you forget that we are the fans of music, we buy music and no one posting a ukulele version of "Hotel California" or the like is taking anything away from Warner. Please reconsider and don't forget what music is all about.

Ryan
 
Although many of us are angry with WMG, I feel that the letter writing campaign needs to be specific, constructive and polite to be effective. With this in mind, I have adapted Leftovermagic84s letter and sent it via email. If you cannot think of what to write or how to write it or if you are so incensed that all that you want to say is abusive, you could do worse than copy and paste that letter and send it to the link provided by Hoosierhiver with any additions of your own. Here's my adaptation that I sent today:

I wanted to express my disappointment over WMG's takedown notices over several ukulele cover songs in your catalogue. I play ukulele and these videos not only serve to encourage my hobby, but have been a great tool for music discovery. These ukulele covers cannot possibly duplicate the complexity of a full studio recording, and the artist's who upload them profit in no way from them. Furthermore, they are usually fan tributes to the original artistes. These uploads have served to point me to new artists, some of which you produce, and only serve to help businesses like yours as I pursue and purchase music from artists I would have otherwise not known about. These Youtube covers serve to help you, not harm you or your artistes. Please consider leaving hobbyists and their covers alone, as they act as viral marketing for your business and your artistes and, in no way, compete with you or detract from your business opportunities. Thank you.
 
By the way, my letter was less serious because I really don't think you can reason with a corporation. Their only responsibility is to their shareholders, and the only place to bargain with them is on the bottom line. I appreciate the sentiment here, but doubt its effectiveness.

As a reasonable person, I completely agree that it's more effective in conversation to politely say, "you're actually hurting your profits by taking down covers for x and y reasons... etc..." However to a huge corporation, I think politeness is just much more easily ignored and I seriously doubt they're in the business of taking suggestions all of a sudden. A bunch of people standing outside their offices with pitchforks and torches and shouting obscenities might be less polite, but I honestly think it'd be more effective.
 
Does anyone know..... does YouTube pay ASCAP and BMI licensing fees?

Here's what I think might be more of the bottom line: What kind of profit does YouTube see for hosting copyright-violating covers of songs? I don't think that WB and others are going after individual cover artists who are doing this as a hobby. They are going after the hosting platform. YouTube, in turn, sidesteps and makes the individuals remove the material.

So is it going to help to go after the record company, or should we be focusing our energy on getting YouTube to settle and get the licensing it needs?

Just a thought that came to me in the shower today....
 
Although many of us are angry with WMG, I feel that the letter writing campaign needs to be specific, constructive and polite to be effective. With this in mind, I have adapted Leftovermagic84s letter and sent it via email. If you cannot think of what to write or how to write it or if you are so incensed that all that you want to say is abusive, you could do worse than copy and paste that letter and send it to the link provided by Hoosierhiver with any additions of your own. Here's my adaptation that I sent today:

I wanted to express my disappointment over WMG's takedown notices over several ukulele cover songs in your catalogue. I play ukulele and these videos not only serve to encourage my hobby, but have been a great tool for music discovery. These ukulele covers cannot possibly duplicate the complexity of a full studio recording, and the artist's who upload them profit in no way from them. Furthermore, they are usually fan tributes to the original artistes. These uploads have served to point me to new artists, some of which you produce, and only serve to help businesses like yours as I pursue and purchase music from artists I would have otherwise not known about. These Youtube covers serve to help you, not harm you or your artistes. Please consider leaving hobbyists and their covers alone, as they act as viral marketing for your business and your artistes and, in no way, compete with you or detract from your business opportunities. Thank you.

I used your letter as a template for my letter. Thanks!
 
Here's mine with a solution...

I used your letter as a template.

To Warner Music Group,

Please let me share videos of my pathetically poor attempts to sing some of my favorite songs on YouTube?! I am not a great singer or musician, but I enjoy listening to my favorite songs, and equally enjoy singing while I play a piano, guitar, or ukulele. I would like to post them on youtube for my family and friends to view. I can send you a sample of this, but I don't want to ruin your apetite. After hearing me, you will no longer wonder if I will take away from your profits. I do not profit from this little personal project, and I can show you a picture of my car to prove it.

I do not plan to post the actual music video, or even snippets of the song. If I may, I would like to suggest an option as a link on the videos to purchase the song through iTunes, since I've seen these links on some videos on YouTube already. Think about it... this is FREE publicity for you, and YOU get ALL the profits. I wouldn't mind if you shared some my way, but at least consider this potentially viable and mutually beneficial option. I don't believe it will cause a loss to your company, and if anything it will be a win/win solution for everyone.

What do you think? Please consider this sincere request.

P.S. I can also show you my extensive CD and DVD collection, many are products of WMG. I support your interests, so please support mine. Thank you.
 
By the way, my letter was less serious because I really don't think you can reason with a corporation. Their only responsibility is to their shareholders, and the only place to bargain with them is on the bottom line. I appreciate the sentiment here, but doubt its effectiveness.

As a reasonable person, I completely agree that it's more effective in conversation to politely say, "you're actually hurting your profits by taking down covers for x and y reasons... etc..." However to a huge corporation, I think politeness is just much more easily ignored and I seriously doubt they're in the business of taking suggestions all of a sudden. A bunch of people standing outside their offices with pitchforks and torches and shouting obscenities might be less polite, but I honestly think it'd be more effective.

I would have to agree with you, big corps. could care less.
 
Top Bottom