The indie music label is now at the forefront of the music industry, with so many artists leaving majors such as Adele, Radiohead, and M.I.A., to name a few. The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) represents over 850 independent labels in the UK and are now filing a complaint against the video streaming giant YouTube for poor rights deals and bullying tactics toward those labels.
According to The Hollywood ReporterWIN, who represents the global independent music community, says YouTube has been contacting independent labels directly with a contract detailing how much they will be paid for rights, and threatening their content will be blocked on the platform if the agreement is not signed as is. YouTube will launch a streaming music service shortly and has reportedly tried to cut independents out of a deal they have already negotiated with the three major labels, Sony, Warner Bros. and Universal.
The Guardian notes WIN is not taking any of this lightly and has filed a formal complaint against YouTube with the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, over the site’s strong-arm tactics.
With so many artists shying away from the major label, mainly for creative reasons, and with many new artists such as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis finding massive success at an indie level, the fight against YouTube’s tactics in the UK is sure to spill over to the rest of the world soon.