Youtube and Warner Music Group: Together Again at Last

A while back, I wrote about one of the biggest controversies ever experienced by YouTube users: videos with music from Warner Music Group were pulled or silenced as a result of a dispute between the two companies. Consequently, users became angry about the move, to the point where some of them vowed to never visit the site again. I was among the users who hated this move, and for a long time I felt that an agreement between the two companies was little more than wishful thinking. However, this wish is about to come true for millions of people, as it appears that YouTube and Warner Music Group have finally joined forces once more, and the latter company's music will soon be featured on the popular website once again. Let me tell you about this news and what it will mean for viewers everywhere.

Soon after the YouTube and Warner Music Group dispute began near the end of 2008, the latter company (often abbreviated as WMG) became notorious for blocking videos featuring its music. Official music videos were taken off, and not even the artists' own channels were safe. Users not affiliated with WMG but who still used their songs for entertainment purposes, or because it fit the action or the videos' messages perfectly, were also affected. As a result, the users' videos were removed, and in some cases, the users themselves were suspended. Even cover versions of songs released by WMG were blocked, further angering the people who worked so hard to create the videos for everyone to see. As a result, people became very much upset, and it appeared as if YouTube would never be home to a lot of great songs ever again.

That notion, however, is about to change for the better. It seems that for months, YouTube and WMG have been attempting to discuss terms and solve issues that have kept them apart for about three-quarters of a year. On September 29, 2009, YouTube made it official: they would once again be the home to music from all four major record companies, including WMG. The multi-year deal with WMG means that official music videos will return to the site, and WMG artists will be able to share new and classic hit songs once more. Additionally, users would also be permitted to use WMG music on their videos without the concerned of having them pulled. On top of that, ads included with the videos would go to the company's artists. In this sense, everybody wins: the artists will gain revenue and YouTube's users can watch and make videos with WMG's music the way that they once did before the dispute materialized.

The reaction to this news among users is somewhat mixed. Plenty of people are glad that the dispute is finally over and that they will be able to see their favorite classic WMG videos soon. On the other hand, there are those who still refuse to forgive WMG for the way that they and their videos were treated while the dispute was ongoing. They view the company as being quite greedy and disregarding all of the hard work that they put into their videos as a result of their greed. Some users fear a repeat of the dispute when the agreement expires, and others feel that the new deal came about on the belief that WMG actually started to lose money following the dispute and have come back to YouTube to try and get it back. The reasons that these users feel the way that they do about the reunion may or may not change as the videos return.

Personally, I felt that the entire feud was a stupid move on WMG's part from the get-go. They punished millions of users for using and watching videos with their music just because they felt that they were losing money as a result. I had felt sorry for users affected by the dispute, and I still do, because they were the innocent victims of corporate greed. I am excited to see that WMG's music is being brought back to YouTube, as there are quite a lot of videos that they have made over the years that I would like to see again, or for the first time. At the same time, though, I do not think that the hatred towards the company among every user will go away anytime soon, if ever. After all, this is a company guilty of causing them so much pain in the first place. Also, what will happen when the deal runs out and a new deal cannot be reached? A repeat of the suffering that we have all endured, and as we all know, those who do not learn from the lessons of history will find themselves repeating it. Believe me when I say that I do not wish to see another dispute like this, and I pray that WMG has learned its lesson.

The new deal between WMG and YouTube has its positive and negative aspects. On the one hand, it brings to an end (for a time, anyways) a dispute that has made millions of people angry toward WMG and it allows its music to be seen and heard by these users once again. On the other hand, people still refuse to forgive WMG for their greedy ways and fear that another dispute could result in the future. Whether or not the reunion will ultimately be beneficial to everyone involved remains to be seen. For the moment, it looks as if the future for YouTube and WMG is bright once again, and the video-sharing site will surely become even stronger as a result. I am relieved that the dispute has ended, and cautiously optimistic about the results that shall follow. Let us hope that another dispute such as this one will never plague one of the Internet's most popular websites ever again.