LYOR'S TRUMPIAN CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARTICLE 13

Lyor Cohen is a lot like Trump, lying shamelessly and making shit up as he goes along—and he’s now in overdrive in his campaign against Article 13 of the European copyright directive, now being considered by the European parliament, multiple sources in the rights-holder community are telling us. Exhibit A: This Music Business Worldwide story detailing his latest rap.

“It’s the same old bullshit,” says one label insider. “He repeats the big lie and over and over, because he knows he can."

Lyor is the front line of Alphabet/Google/YouTube’s propaganda war against the provision, which would adjust the carte blanche safe harbor protection YouTube has previously exploited and make the company actually responsible for copyright violations.

Despite its obscene profitability, YouTube really doesn’t want to absorb the costs associated with liability, and the video behemoth may be on the ropes as regards Article 13. Nearly 100 industry groups have fought hard for it—and while the process is complicated, they’re optimistic about passage. As Sir Paul McCartney declared in an open letter in July, the directive and Article 13 “would address the value gap and assure a sustainable future” for all.

Naturally, the YT response to this potential loss is to stir up fear, Trump-style, with ginned-up threats. In a new editorial, Lyor claims that passage of Article 13 would lead to “less money for artists and songwriters.”

“It’s time to get more transparent,” he begins—which is the Lyor version of Trump’s “believe me”—and declares that passage will “harm the very creative industry it seeks to protect.” He says he’s “deeply concerned” that we in the biz “don’t understand the consequences.”

“It’s the same old bullshit,” says one label insider. “He repeats the big lie and over and over, because he knows he can."

The patronizing tone aside, Lyor goes on to claim, “We’ve paid the music industry over €5 billion to date and over €1.5 billion in the last 12 months also from advertising revenue.” The IFPI has previously taken Google/YT to task for misrepresenting what YouTube pays. The British org notes the “value gap” between what the other services, with a fraction of the users, contribute compared to YouTube, which it says delivers about 5% of what the rest pay.

Lyor insists endless lawsuits will expose YT to risks that will force them “to block huge amounts of video.” He also says artists “would get less money and less promotion.”

In response to Lyor's editorial, one label exec simply replied, “BULLSHIT. Google owes residual royalties to all in music. BILLIONS.” There were other industry responses in this subsequent MBW story, including a riposte from BPI: "The money YouTube is spending to preserve special protections for its business would be much better spent rewarding the great music that drives users to its platform."

Like Trump’s, Lyor’s mulch of lies, bullshit and make-believe seems impervious to facts. But that doesn’t mean the biz can afford to let him get away with it.