Google Flat-Out Refuses to Bargain With Workers, Prompting YouTube Music Strike
Google Flat-Out Refuses to Bargain With Workers, Prompting YouTube Music Strike
In an email obtained by Motherboard, Google tells YouTube Music workers it will "not be participating in collective bargaining."
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I'm very much pro-union, but meanwhile artists and creators who made that content in the first place are getting fucked by everyone
A YouTube creators' strike isn't an impossible notion. It'd just have to be led by a couple of big names, like a Mr. Beast type.
Mr Beast is the result of the trendy gen Z libertarian millionaire pipeline. He will never unionize nor support strikes.
There's been enough creators that have had enough problems with YouTube that maybe something could happen. I'm not putting money on it or anything but it wouldn't be that crazy.
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They could argue for
- a greater share of the value
- more certainty about being allowed to stay on the platform
Pretty much like anyone's top two asks. More money, more security.
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No, it is not all upside. What has more value. Content people want to watch somehow. Or an empty "platform" that slurps up most of the gains.
I'm not saying there is no value inherent to platform's. Merely pointing out the disingenuous nature of that argument.
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An empty platform has little value. Hundreds have gotten shut down for this very reason.
Content by and large makes the platform. Not the other way round. Yet the platform soaks up the lions share of the benefit. Leaving most who aren't whales to see nothing at all. This is the problem google is very complicit with. I'm all for them making enough to sustain the service. I just think they owe far more than they are giving, to the content that made them.
Nebula is great. And is trundling along just fine. It could use some more promotion and love sure. But it's goals aren't the same as a behemoth like Google's. Who's talents aren't in creating content, but promoting it.
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Creators would exist without the platform. They always have. But the platform definitely does bring value. The problem is that for a while now, greedy corporations have slowly been pushing the balance so that they received most of the benefit of everyone else's work. It's an overarching problem of capitalism that we need to deal with. But have been putting off for 50 to 60 years.
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Creators would exist without the platform. They always have.
Not sure what you mean with this. Youtube has allowed anyone with a camera and an internet connection to put content out in the world. It was completely different back before youtube existed.
I've been on the internet since 94. I know what it was like. YouTube did not create creators. People posted video to the internet long before YouTube was a thing. And long before Google owned it. Because they didn't create it.
I'm not saying people didn't share videos beforehand, but youtube created a platform that allowed people to do it more easily, be discovered more easily, and actually make a decent living through it. The internet landscape, especially in respect to influencers or content creators, is entirely different now than it was in the 90's.
Going with what is happening in the SAG/AFTRA strike, perhaps the big names shouldn't join the strike because they would come across as entitled, but they are more than welcome to donate towards the strike.
Artists, techies, and socialists need to come together. To build a platform focused on sustainability ultimately. Devoid of profit for the sake of profit. And more focused on meeting the needs of their members. No overpriced CEO or board of directors. Or layers of redundant management. Once the service costs are covered. Anything after that could be split somewhat proportionally within strict limits.
I'm on board with this idea, but I'm not sure where to start.
A lot of the basic pieces are in place. Torrenting/peer tube for distribution. Modern day royalty free codecs. Realistically the two biggest hurdles are how to monetize responsibly, and bringing people in. It's something that in one shape or form will always require some small donation of time and resources. And it's easier to convince someone to join a Ponzi scheme telling them you will make them wealthy. Than it is to get someone to join guaranteeing that you'll never make them wealthy but you will try to make them secure in their lives.
This already exists, it's called Nebula
This is a good thread and good comment to throw this up on:
https://youtu.be/PJSTFzhs1O4?si=3SalhKn7wN6dgUpP
Benn Jordan, perhaps better known as "The Flashbulb" as an EDM artist, has an excellent YouTube channel. This video dives into some details on how we could get artists paid, and stop getting our art jerked around by corporations. For less than we pay to not get free healthcare healthcare, you could have access to all copyright content, ad free, and artists would be better compensated.
It's an idea worth spreading.
Anyone able to chime in on fileshare or w/e the crypto is that gives artists a cut per play? Has been a while since I've heard of it.