Azoff takes on YouTube

Some 20,000 works composed by popular musicians including The Eagles, Pharrell Williams, Boston, Foreigner, John Lennon, Smokey Robinson, Chris Cornell, and George and Ira Gershwin could soon be removed from YouTube - just as the Google streaming giant launches it's YouTube Music Key, it's much-anticipated subscription service that will compete with Spotify and Pandora. why? Well band manager, ex Live Nation chief and now boss of  Global Music Rights (GMR) Irving Azoff (right) has told The Hollywood Reporter that he is prepared to take 42 of his clients away from YouTube. Azoff had already fired a shot accross the bows of US music colleciton societies BMI and ASCAP saying "The way fans listen to music is evolving daily" adding "GMR is going to give songwriters and publishers an opportunity to engage in meaningful licensing for their intellectual property. The trampling of writers' rights in the digital marketplace without any regard to their contribution to the creative process will no longer be tolerated."

Sigur Ross sorry for No-Tube

Sigur Rós have apologised for deciding not to broadcast their Bestival set, via the festival's YouTube channel saying that the "expansive demands" of Saturday night headliners New Order - who played straight after Sigur Rós - meant that the band's performance was pushed forward from its desired "darkness" slot into daylight, undermining the band's stage visuals, which were designed to be seen at night and that “that the band went on to have a thoroughly miserable experience on stage too. And to spare everyone's blushes a decision was made to draw a discrete veil over proceedings. Sorry, but we can be so much better than what you missed. Another time, for sure".

Bestival for you ... and you ... and you

The Isle of Wight's Bestival will be live streamed to a dedicated YouTube channel for fans around the World covering both the Main Stage and Big Top on September 7th, 8th and 9th. Music fans will be able to watch headline performances from Florence + the Machine and New Order, a UK festival exclusive appearance from The xx and live sets from Friendly Fires, Two Door Cinema Club, Emeli Sande, Bat for Lashes, Orbital, Miike Snow, Azealia Banks and many more. The detailed daily program of the live stream will be available on the Bestival YouTube channel. Once Bestival comes to a close, individual songs from acts will be available on-demand for the next 90 days on the Bestival YouTube channel.




Patrick Walker, Senior Director of YouTube Music, Europe, Middle East & Africa said: "As the premiere destination for music lovers worldwide, YouTube has been working hard to expand our offering of live gigs and festivals to satisfy the hunger for great original content. We're delighted to announce a partnership with Bestival, whose dream line-up of musicians including Florence + the Machine, The xx, Emeli Sande and New Order, will now be made available to anyone, anywhere with an Internet connection." And Bestival Promoter / Curator Rob da Bank commented: "I've been watching festivals such as Coachella and Tomorrowland on YouTube and loving the futuristic new angle on showing festivals in a different light via a medium that nearly everyone in the music and festival worlds is tuned into. We're really pleased that Bestival is the first UK festival to go down this route.”

www.youtube.com/user/bestivaltv