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Amateur videos on featuring copyrighted songs on YouTube are being muted or removed, due to a failed deal between the video site and Warner Music Group. The disagreement revolves around the fees paid to Warner for the use of its music videos. Since YouTube uses an automatic process to find unlicensed material on its site, videos of amateurs covering songs and using copyrighted background music are targeted. Will Tanous, a spokesman for Warner Music, defends the company’s position:

“We and our artists share the user community’s frustration when content is unavailable. YouTube generates revenues from content posted by fans, which typically requires licenses from rights holders. Under the current process, we make YouTube aware of WMG content. Their content ID tool then takes down all unlicensed tracks, regardless of how they are used.”

YouTube spokesman Chris Dale said, “While we work with music labels to keep music on the site, sometimes our negotiations don’t pan out, and we understand that this can be a big disappointment to our community.” The reasons behind the failed deal could be on par with YouTube’s recent disagreement with the PRS.

Warner argues that the amateur videos, while created for noncommercial purposes, are nevertheless distributed on YouTube, which has revenue from advertisements. Are Warner’s demands so high that YouTube doesn’t have enough to pay them? Analyst estimates of YouTube’s yearly revenues range from $200 million to $500 million. Still, the amateur videos are being removed. Who do you blame, Warner or YouTube?

EMI Music’s head of digital music, Douglas Merrill, is leaving the company only 11 months after the decision to trade his previous position as Google’s chief information officer to join the music label in April 2008.

Digital music sales have gained importance in the label’s business plan, and currently count for 20% of its total revenue. EMI Music Chief Executive, Elio Leoni-Sceti, said that the digital music unit can no longer be run as a standalone business, and will be integrated into the label’s general operations.

Leoni-Sceti also announced that the company has promoted Cory Ondrejka to the new position of executive vice president of digital marketing to take Merrill’s place. Odrejka arrived at EMI in June 2008 as senior vice president of digital strategy, and was a co-founder of the virtual world Second Life.

As the home of Coldplay, Radiohead and the Beatles catalog, EMI is taking into account the growing market for digital music sales. In 2008, digital sales rose 27 percent, compared to a 14 percent drop in album sales, and EMI’s restructuring reflects the trend. Will the other major labels follow suit, and streamline their businesses? How many more top positions will be lost?

Amy Whinehouse’s record label have rejected the songs she has written for her new album.

The 25 year-old troubled singer spent three months in the Carribean island, St Lucia, penning the new material, but record bosses are thinking all that sun, sea and sand has gone to her head and made her songs sound a bit too ‘Reggae‘. Maybe she is going a little coco-nuts …get it? Carribean, coconuts? Forget it.

Music bosses have advised Amy that they don’t feel such a sharp move to a ‘different‘ sound would in any way benefit her record sales, and they for one are determined that sales of this third album should exceed those of Amy’s 2006 LP Back to Black.

Prior to this, concerns had already been voiced by Amy’s Label that her music had become too ‘dark‘, with a source reporting that “The lyrics are very dark indeed. While she’s known for her conversational style and has been very successful with it, many of the tracks are near the knuckle”.

The Sun Newspaper reported from a source saying ”It is crucial Amy’s return is handled properly. If she puts out a record that is in any way half-baked, that could severely damage her long-term prospects, so everyone’s focus at the minute is getting it right, even if that means telling Amy some things she probably won’t want to hear.”

Drummer Josh Freese has played with top artists like Nine Inch Nails, Devo and A Perfect Circle, and today, for the release of his solo album entitled Since 1972, he has presented us with a free track to download and a “price menu” that offers some outlandish, limited-edition packages alongside the album.

The menu lets you spend anywhere from $7, for the digital download, to $20,000 for Josh to join your band for a month and includes a game of miniature golf with Freese, singer Maynard James Keenan from Tool and Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo. For $1,000, you can get drunk with Josh and cut each other’s hair in the parking lot of the Long Beach courthouse (filmed and posted on YouTube of course).

The highly anticipated recording Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration (EMI Music/Vector Recordings) will be released on March 31. The album features performances by Angelique Kidjo, 3 Doors Down, Al Green, Patty Griffin, Heather Headley, Jon Bon Jovi, Jonny Lang, Queen Latifah, Joss Stone with Buick Audra and many more (see below for full track listing). For the project, these world-renowned musicians collaborated with Gospel artists and several of today’s top Gospel Choirs to record renditions of some of the most loved and recognizable inspirational songs. It’s been said you don’t just hear gospel music you feel it. It’s woven through the fabric of the American spirit and history and its influence can be felt and heard around the world today and in the background of many of today’s most talented artists and musicians.

The album’s concept resulted from a close partnership between EMI Gospel and Vector Recordings and was produced by Ken Levitan, Bill Hearn, Jack Rovner, Ken Pennell, Drew & Shannon, Johnny K, Sanchez Harley, Obie O’Brien, Keith Thomas, Tommy Sims, Cedric Thompson, Simon Climie, Michael McDonald, Joss Stone and Buick Audra. Of the project, Bill Hearn, CEO of EMI Christian Music Group comments, “We wanted to create an album that honored the legacy of gospel music—it’s the backbone of the American spirit—but also create unique artist pairings that fans could find no where else.” Vector’s Ken Levitan adds, “Gospel music has always been not only spiritually and musically uplifting but also a great American art form. With this project we’ve taken artists who have been successful in other genres and combined them with this great art form to create new powerful music.”

While recording the record at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, Jonny Lang notes, “(Gospel music) is really all I’ve been listening to for the last few years…it’s my favorite form of music…at least for now…” Lang goes on to say, “it’s such an honor to record with the legendary Fisk Jubilee Singers, their very first take on the song just blew me away. They’re such pros…quite an honor...” Additionally, Heather Headley comments, “It’s not everyday that you get the opportunity to revisit a classic song like “People Get Ready,” record it with a great producer like Keith Thomas, and sing alongside a legend such as Rev. Al Green. It really was a pleasure, and I had a great time doing it.

NPR has posted the new live album by living legend, Leonard Cohen for free on their site. “Live in London,” is treasure for all Cohen Fans. Recorded in July of 2008, it was a concert that took place during his first tour in 15 years. The subject of much talk and praise, Cohen is one of the most insightful and revealing songwriters around. His songs have been covered literally hundreds of times by all kinds of musical groups and musicians (i.e. Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, Marianne Faithfull, Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley, Madeleine Peyroux, Antony and the Johnsons, and The Pixies, to name.) You all know him in some form or another.

Even though this was recorded at a huge London arena, you get a real sense of closeness with this recording. He re-approaches certain songs to make it as though you’re hearing it for the first time (A Thousand Kisses Deep). I think it’s awesome that they are allowing the public to listen to the entire 2-disc album. My only problem with it is that the way the songs are listed is all out of wack. The names don’t actually match up to the songs you’re listening to. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the golden voice of Leonard Cohen.

The proposed changes to New Zealand’s Internet copyright laws in Section 92A which would consider file-sharers “guilty if accused”, were withdrawn for reconsideration by the country’s Government, as confirmed by an announcement made by Prime Minister John Key:

“Section 92a is not going to come into force as originally written. We have now asked the minister of commerce to start work on a replacement section.”

International efforts to resist the legislation proved fruitful. We reported that the Creative Freedom Foundation organized an “Internet blackout”, which encouraged Internet users to protest by replacing their Facebook, Myspace and Twitter profile pictures with plain black images.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) TelstraClear also made a full rebuttal of Section 92A, and Google argued that the legislation would not be useful, as “more than half (57%) of the take down notices it has received under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act 1998, were sent by business targeting competitors and over one third (37%) of notices were not valid copyright claims.”

The enormous response from the Internet community and IT industry had an impact on the outcome of Government actions.

WorldSings unveiled a new social site (www.WorldSings.com) for music discovery and kicked off the official start to its first annual World’s Best Song competition with $1,000,0000 in prizes. The new site brings together artists and music fans from around the world in a rich social network that promotes self-expression, social interaction, music discovery and sharing.

The World’s Best Song competition is open to any musician or band performing original music. In line with the site’s community-centric philosophy, WorldSings members vote for their favorite songs. The top 20 vote getters are sent to Las Vegas to compete before a live audience at the WorldSings concert, which will be held at Planet Hollywood on March 19, 2010. Competition prizes total $1,000,000, with the winner taking home $500,000 - along with the title of The World’s Best Song.

Along with the chance to compete at Planet Hollywood, WorldSings gives emerging and established artists the opportunity to reach new audiences on a global stage. Artists can upload their music or videos, create a profile page, and list their concert or live events. Artists are also able to grow and encourage their fan base by networking with fans and other promotional grassroots marketing - like posting messages on their wall, and directly interacting with fans via messages, posts, or live chat.

In addition, artists can see the key demographic data (age, gender, location) behind each vote - offering unique visibility into who is enjoying their music.

For music fans, WorldSings offers the opportunity to learn, share, and discover new music. Members can become friends with fellow music lovers regardless of geographic boundaries and get to know favorite artists on a more personal level than would otherwise be possible. And throughout the year, members can win prizes, including a trip to Las Vegas to hear the top artists perform live at the World Sings concert.

Detailed rules for the competition can be found on the WorldSings website. Artists and music lovers can sign up today and join the global movement to crown the first world’s best song.

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