YOUTUBE FIGHT HEADS TO EUROPE

More than 1,100 artists have signed a letter pleading with European Union President Jean-Claude Juncker to close the “value gap” being driven by YouTube.

Abba, Carole King, Elton John and Paul McCartney appear alongside young acts such as Aurora, Bring me the Horizon, Bruno Mars, Calvin Harris, James Bay and Sam Smith.

The call follows campaigns by the IFPI, and similar artist and Irving Azoff-led efforts to reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in the US.

The future of music’s success in Europe is jeopardised by a “substantial value gap caused by user upload services such as Google’s YouTube that are unfairly siphoning value away from the music community and its artists and songwriters,” reads the letter.

It’s not fair for future creators, the artists say, undermines the rights and revenues of those who create, and distorts the market place. The answer is a clarification over the “appropriate” use of safe harbour legislation, and they hope the European Commission’s forthcoming review of copyright legislation can fix that.

It ends: “We urge you to take action now to create a fair playing field for artists and rights owners. In doing so, you will be securing the future of music for generations to come. We hope we can work with you to create a sustainable and thriving music sector for Europe.”