Incredible shrinking world of Bob Dylan

Amateurs no longer need as Sony muscles them off YouTube

Just Like a Woman web Incredible shrinking world of Bob Dylan photo

Bob Dylan Just Like a Woman

Sony Music and Bob Dylan are pushing Bob Dylan fan videos off YouYube as we predicted last fall. When the Day of the Locust video was removed from our story Bob Dylan original art and prints Drawn Blank it was just another Dylan video “removed” by YouTube.

A search for “Bob Dylan” on YouTube produced 65,000 videos, down from more than 110,000 in September of 2009. For the most part, the Bob Dylan videos remaining are on official channels like BobDylanTV and VEVO, both of which are owned or controlled by Sony Music.

Follow the money

It’s not that Bob Dylan doesn’t like his fans or their videos. His label Sony thinks it’s losing advertising money when we watch videos that they don’t control.

Bob Dylan Just Like a Woman, posted by fan (since we posted this story, Sony had the YouTube video taken down. Here’s another version)

“Vevo is a music video and entertainment website. It is owned by Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Abu Dhabi Media Company.The service was launched officially on 8 December 2009. The video hosting for Vevo is provided by YouTube, with Google and Vevo sharing the advertising revenue. Vevo offers music videos from three of the four major record labels, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI.”

“One of the reasons cited for the launch of Vevo is the competition that music videos have in the form of YouTube. Warner Music Group apparently removed its content from YouTube in March 2009 for this reason, but is said to be considering hosting its content on Vevo. The concept for the site is described as being a Hulu for music videos, with the goal being to attract more high-end advertisers. It is believed that some advertisers are ambivalent to hosting advertising on the YouTube site alongside user-generated video.” Wikipedia

Fan interest wanes

New artists are building their fan base with sites like YouTube. As OK GO found, the switch to a label can put them on the outs with fans who are used to freely sharing.  EMI Blocks OK GO videos – how dumb can that be?.  In March of 2010, OK GO split with their label and formed Parachute  Recordings. The reason was obvious. OK Go built their fan base with viral distribution on YouTube. EMI’s dumb move to end that was putting a big dent in OK Go’s popularity. Fans are worth more than labels in today’s music business.

With aging artists like Dylan, it’s the fan interest that keeps his name in the public mind. Fans collect videos and music. They take forbidden videos at concerts risking losing their equipment. Fans have been bootlegging Dylan since the beginning.

Fans like to share Dylan music and videos. It was a competitive pastime on YouTube posting Dylan music. The latest song and the old obscure songs were interesting to post and watch.

Sony has harassed those fans with DMCA take downs and account suspensions on YouTube until people more or less quit. How many times are you going to prepare a video, post it and then have your account deleted before you move on to something else.

Sony may capture all of the advertising revenue, but I’m sure the number of viewers is less than the amateur videos got. Everyone has seen the official videos.

Where to buy USA

2006 portrait WILLIAM CLAXTON 2 150x150 Incredible shrinking world of Bob Dylan photoThe Bob Dylan Store on Amazon.com Incredible shrinking world of Bob Dylan photo

  • Chris Hockenhull

    In 2007 the BBC made a film where I tracked down a number of children who were photographed here in Liverpool by Barry Feinstein in May 1966. I visited Feinstein in Woodstock for the film and the children (now in their forties +) were taken back to the original location and filmed. It made a lovely story and it was placed on YouTube by someone and received ‘hits’ from all over the world still until recently when this was amongst the films taken off by Sony/Dylan/Whoever. I cant see for the life of me what this has to do as Dylan’s office were correctly approached by the BBC and the proper performance royalties etc discussed. It was found that Dylan’s organization did have film of the children from the day in 1966 but they would not let this be used. They did also allow some clips to be used from ‘No Direction Home’ so everything was above board.

    This film was immensely popular and proved a great advertisement for Dylan, Sony and indeed Barry Feinstein as it was arguably the best publicity for his photos he ever attained. However they sit on film of these then children’s life’s for no reason and the children (now adults who knew nothing about all this until the film was made) didn’t even get a photograph of themselves for free!!

    Money doesn’t talk it swears said someone once!!

    Chris Hockenhull
    Liverpool
    England

  • dss

    I don’t think they realize how many people discover new artists on YouTube. It’s the best advertising there is. And for Dylan, I think it’s a mistake to cutoff this path for the younger audience to discover him.

  • EllenR

    Can’t imagine what next step will be. Maybe music on fan’s websites. To great extent it’s Bob’s fans that keep him popular. Watching videos and playing concerts of music that has not been published enhances Bob’s popularity and ability to continue selling tickets on NET. I really believe that Sony/Bob or whomever it is that is taking the videos off Youtube is making a mistake,

  • don

    It really is a joke, removing Dylan videos from youtube. These videos are created and posted by fans, you know the types that buy all his albums and spend hard earned money to go see the guy live. I started buying Dylan albums in the nearly mid eighties, mostly original issues of his then vast catalogue. To this day, they still play perfectly. From Infidels and the many reissues since, they jump and skip all over the place. As for Sony’s cds, they are even worse, every Dylan cd i’ve bought malfunctions including The Bootleg Series vol 8, which i’ve played about ten times. So who is kidding who and who is being robbed here? Not Dylan, not Sony, but the fans the very people Sony want to crush, the fans, the decent folk who keep these giant corporations in business.

  • S.L.Schlegel

    Outrageous! Sharing videos from fans on YouTube is the whole purpose of the site.How greedy can Sony get? I and millions of Dylan fans like me are furious about this stupid move.

  • Wade Cottingham

    Comments protesting against Sony will not reach or influence Sony. Sony operates in another world compared to fans. A world you never knew. If they were taking a vote on their policy they would already have called you. So shut up and buy what they tell you!

  • Darkeyez

    What REALLY pisses me off is that Sony keeps pulling my goddamn covers. They pull some of my videos and not others AS WELL AS pulling my version of a certain song and not someone elses. This really ticks me off, if Dylan doesn’t put a stop to what his homeboys are doing there at Sony then his days are numbered in my book….and this coming from soneone who’s loved Dylan all his life. Control yo shit or get kicked to the curb

  • Pete A

    Yawn. Boycott Sony and go see live music instead of watching it on Youtube.

  • Kat D

    I have spent more money than I care to think about on Dylan CD’s, tickets, etc. and I think if I hadn’t found as much music as I have on YouTube, that amount may be discussable. Sony’s (and Dylan’s) people are idiots to take videos off YouTube. It hasn’t DECREASED what I’ve spent, it’s INCREASED it; and I am not alone.

    “…power and greed and corruptible seed
    Seem to be all that there is…”

    Somebody said that, too.

  • michelle

    I would never in a million years have attended any Bob Dylan concerts had I not watched the fan videos on Youtube first. They showed me what to expect and if I wanted that. Now maybe that’s what this is all about,maybe Sony wants people to think they’ll hear the old Dylan and that they can make more money by tricking people!

  • seacrest out

    Or maybe you guys don’t understand copyright laws.

  • Ben Waters

    This is a bummer. Carbon/Silicon sings about “intellectual litigation” and “copyright inflation,” and this epitomizes it for me. I think Sony cracked down on DVDYLAN.com as well.

    What sony should be doing is making a high quality boot available from every show. I’d buy them. People should still be able to share, trade, give away boots of any forms that are Amateur, and post them on the internet.

    I guess they should stop calling it the “Bootleg Series” and call it something else, since they appear to want to squash bootlegging.

    Of course there is a lot of irony involved too. In fact my head is spinning. Are they pressing charges for posting an incredible amateur shot version of highway 61 revisited.

    Expect more arbitrary bs from the corporatocracy.

    I think I’ll write a fictional story about this, which will probably come true.

  • ELIZABETH ROBLES

    SCREW YOU SONY! YOU FREAKIN GREEDY BASTARDS FOR REMOVING ALL OF BOB DYLAN’S U TUBE VIDEOS MAY THE WRATH OF KARMA REIGN DOWN ON YOU! THIS IS LIFE SPEAKING AND BOB DYLAN GOT HIS MATERIAL FROM LIFE!
    DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU OWN ALL THE RIGHTS TO THE UNIVERSE? SONY DOES NOT TRUMP THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE! ROUGHT IN HELL YOU FREAKS OF NATURE!
    AND SHAME ON YOU BOB FOR LETTING THEM MAKE A GREEDY CORPORATE PUPPET OF YOU IN DOING THIS! THERE HAS TO BE A BALANCE THIS IS NOT THE BALANCE! DEEPLY THINK ABOUT IT? COMPLETELY DISAPPOINTED! YET, ETERNALLY YOURS, LIFE! NOT AVAILABLE FOR CORPORATE GREED,IT WILL COME BACK ON YOU, GET A CLUE!

  • Celebrity

    Thats a shame about youtube removing Bob Dylan`s video`s. Hate to hear that. Sony should feel bad.

  • THE ARGUIST

    BOB – If you ever look at discussions like this, would you please pull some strings at Sony to put live performances back on YouTube. As your art is to re-arrange renditions on a regular basis, this is the only way we can enjoy your efforts. Surely, also, at this stage of your career/life, a whole series of live albums could be produced. Neither of those two options would stop us going to the concerts. Keep your inventive juices flowing, as you might regret stopping later on. And thanks and well done so far.

  • The Big Al

    SONY, you are now on my boycott list. Leave Dylan videos alone or lose millions. You don’t have a clue. You really don’t.

  • Stephen Pate

    While fans of amateur videos lament, Sony’s VEVO channel which has Dylan’s material, has been one of the most popular on YouTube since January.

  • MODARTIST

    THIS SUCKS.

  • bonhit

    Copyright laws aside. I feel saddened seeing artists like Hendrix and Beatles videos on Youtube, George Benson and Joni Mitchell, but no Bob Dylan. He was once a person who gave a fuck, now he is just an old piece of shit. The old Bob Dylan, which ironically was the young Bob Dylan, wouldn’t have let some piss hole company like Sony buttrape his fanbase.

    Now he just wants to sit and finger his wrinkled cock.

  • v.j.c.

    Somebody wants you to listen something about a “nookie”, or see teenager idols loosing their careers in drugs and scandals, or… but not to listen something more reflexive.

    As someone said long time ago:

    “Young people speaking their minds
    Getting so much resistance from behind
    I think it’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
    Everybody look what’s going down

  • Josh Lobley

    As the webmaster of DylanTube(http://www.dylantube.com), a Bob Dylan video community I am obviously disgusted in this act of greed by souless prudes.
    All as I can say is boycott YouTube and use other video websites that don’t remove Dylan videos.
    YouTube is just a website that hosts videos, there is just smoke and mirrors making it seem like something bigger. Change to dailymotion or something.

  • G

    websheriffbdwatch has sent you a message:

    Re;Bob Dylan
    WEB SHERIFF
    Who You Gonna Call
    Tel +44(0)208-323 8013
    Fax +44(0)208-323 8080

    STRICTLY PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL
    ATTENTION ADDRESSEE ONLY
    COPYRIGHT PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION

    Hi *****,

    We hope you’re well and, by way of introduction, Web Sheriff represents Columbia Records, Special Rider and Bob Dylan in relation to the administration and protection of their on-line rights.

    On behalf of the label and artist, we would kindly ask you not to post original video / audio clips of Dylan — or live concert video / audio clips of Dylan — on YouTube (or any other sites or forums).

    We do appreciate that you are a fan of / are promoting Bob Dylan, but the artist and label would again greatly appreciate your co-operation in removing your clip in question. We are writing to you directly, as a fan, in order that your YouTube account does not get suspended or terminated…

    ————————————–

    So there you have it. They’re going down soon.

    If you happen to be reading this within hours of this post, and you want to find them, search for “bob dylan and his band”

  • BobD_sellout

    How ironic that the former counter-culture child of the 60s, is now a money-grubbing old-fart beating his loyal fans over the head to squeeze more money for the upkeep on his mansions. From hippie to corporate whore, Bobby Dylan is dead, Zimmerman Inc. is all that’s left.

  • Stephen Pate

    Quite. The program has been very successful. No longer do we have tons of archival Bob Dylan videos on YouTube – there are about 10 or 12 official videos posted, plus some concerts although they get posted and pulled pretty quickly.

    They seem to be allowing unlimited cover versions which is good for those who want to cover Dylan. One cover of Lay Lady Lay is actually some guy pretending to play the song with the real cut in the background. Cute.

    People who collect Dylan have hundred’s of rare performances but they can’t share them anymore. About five years ago I read Dylan makes more than $10 million on January 1st of each year from royalties, and another $100 million from records and touring. That’s nice and he deserves to make as much as he needs but for what end suing his loyal fans?

    The Gershwin’s are similarly obsessed with the rights to their music. The last I read, some of the grandchildren are duking it out in court to keep their millions intact. They didn’t create the music, they don’t play it – they just want money.

  • Keith Gubitz

    Search for Bob Dylan’s Music on Facebook.

  • Stephen Pate

    and…

  • Edzard Bluhm

    This is all very interesting and oviously true.
    I wonder what Bob Dylan`s position to this is.
    In the end he should be in control of what happens
    with his stuff. I had thought the whole time that the
    disappearance of his videos was related to money.

  • Zelda

    The line is drawn.
    Sony is his puppet, get it straight
    Bob$$Dylan is a corporation.

  • Darlene Cunningham-Le Page

    Been a fan of Dylan since the late sixties — in my fifties now. Bought and rebought nearly all of his works (records & cds)over the years. Even attended two of his concerts back in the seventies.

    Let’s face it — DYLAN HAS SOLD OUT TO THE CORPORATIONS. SAD BUT TRUE. THE ANSWER MY FRIEND IS BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND BUT IT WILL BLOW BACK AT YOU COLUMBIA! REACTIONARY BEHAVIOUR SUCH AS THIS CANNOT STOP THE INEVITABLE MARCH OF PROGRESS — NEVER HAVE–NEVER WILL. STILL LOVE DYLAN FOR HIS MUSIC BUT WISH THAT HE WOULD REALIZE THAT THE RECORD COMPANIES ARE DIGGING HIS GRAVE FOR POSTERITY — THERE ARE MILLIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WILL MISS OUT ON THE CHANCE TO BE EXPOSED TO DYLAN’S WORK — THE MUSIC MAY BE TIMELESS BUT IT’S “LIVING’ VOICE WILL PERISH — IF SHORT-TERM PROFIT TRUMPS THE ART FORM ITSELF,THEY SHALL HAVE IT — AT LEAST FOR NOW — BUT THE ULTIMATE PRICE WILL BE STEEPER THAN THEY COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED. BUT SINCE WHEN DO CORPORATIONS “IMAGINE” ANYTHING BEYOND THE BOTTOM LINE?

  • Darlene Cunningham-Le Page

    CORRECTION: I GUESS THAT IT WILL BE “SONY” THAT RECEIVES THE BLOW-BACK FROM ALL OF THIS–MOST UNFORTUNATE, ANYHOW. BOB,I HOPE THAT YOU ARE LISTENING FROM SOMEWHERE. WE DON’T EXPECT SAINTHOOD FROM YOU, BUT REMEMBER…”I SEE MY LIGHT COME SHINING FROM THE EAST UNTO THE WEST — ANY DAY NOW, ANY DAY NOW, I SHALL BE RELEASED.”

    HOPEFULLY, WE SHALL “ALL” BE RELEASED FROM THE SERVITUDE OF THESE CORPORATE MASTERS WHO DID NOT CREATE THE MUSIC IN THE FIRST PLACE — GOD GAVE US ALL A FREE WILL AND ANYONE WHO LOVES YOUR MUSIC IS MORE THAN HAPPY TO PURCHASE IT ON ITS OWN ACCOUNT — THANK-YOU FOR ALL OF THOSE WONDERFUL MEMORIES, BOB. MAY YOUR LYRICS STILL RESONATE WITH THOSE WHO ARE MARGINALIZED BUT CONTINUE TO SEEK AND SPEAK THE TRUTH — THEY MAY JUST ABOUT BE THE MAJORITY THESE DAYS!

  • E. DeVere

    What happened to you, Bob?

  • Guru

    This is a relevant video response to this blog on Bob Dylan songs on Youtube. I too have had my youtube account removed due to a complaint by Hendrix. But now; check the text in the beginning on the video, added as an annotation in this Bob Dylan video lesson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz0zHFGVILk

  • Andy

    Come on Bob: Play the man and tell Sony to get stuffed!

  • never mind

    Surely these companies have made their millions from Bob Dylan’s work for the last 50 years I don’t see how a few fan videos would change that. It’s just mindless greed .

  • Jeff Bearden

    It’s killing the art. It’s strangling it, and they’ll be direct karma to pay for it.