Motley Crue founder Nikki Sixx is one of several artists who are calling out Google for the way that the technology giant compensates musicians who release music through YouTube.
According to the BBC, Nikki Sixx is urging Google to live up to its former slogan: “Don’t be evil.”
“The idea behind that was to always compensate everybody,” Sixx said.
He further elaborated that Google needs to live up to its new slogan of “Do the right thing.” The company behind YouTube, he said, is responsible for investing in “the future of music.”
This summer, the contracts between YouTube and three of its biggest recording partners are up for negotiations.
“YouTube is paying out about a sixth of what Spotify and Apple pay artists,” Sixx said.
This new discussion falls in line with the conversation about the value of music that was started by other big-name artists such as Taylor Swift and Adele.
Artists such as Katy Perry and Bon Jovi are also campaigning for a reform to the way the US Copyright Office handles pirated music. Their argument is that the current system of having the copyright holder report the video in question is too inefficient and ineffective in this age of heavy music pirating. When one video is reported and taken down, another can simply be uploaded in its place.
Forty-seven artists banded together to write a letter to address this issue.
“This outdated law forces us to stand by helplessly as billions of dollars in advertising is sold around illegal copies of our work,” they wrote.
The voices of famous musicians such as Nikki Sixx are important in the global conversation about the value of music. Their fame puts them in a position of influence that, when used to “do the right thing,” can trickle down to help even the smallest of YouTube artists.
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
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