YouTube, Stop breaking my bawls!!
A quick but necessary rant.
In June 2006, I started a YouTube page under my now common moniker “Chodidee”. It was fun, and my friends and I put up goofy videos to amuse ourselves, etc.
When it got to 2008, I decided to focus my YouTube channel away from myself and random activities with friends, but to streamline it as a music video site.
Not only that I focussed only on “Live performance/concert” video clips. This was good and bad. It was good because it was a niche that needed filling, and bad because of YouTube’s growing concern with copyright infringement.
At the beginning, I admit I copied some live performance videos and re-posted them (wouldn’t happen now because of their high tech software to match identical videos).
I also admit, that did get 2 warnings for copyright infringement, which equals 2 strikes out of a 3 strike policy. I believe one of the strikes was on a David Letterman show – singer performance. I don’t have a problem with that, I live and I learn from my mistakes!
So, in a determined effort to change, I re-focused my YouTube channel again in 2009 to reflect my live performance videos of local & national indie music artists (who need the exposure). Actually, I was developing a faithful and growing fan base from my over 120+ videos that I shot and edited. (Ex: interviews, concerts, etc.)
Imagine my shock & dismay when YouTube suspended (same as terminated) my account after a 3rd copyright infringement charge. There is no questions asked, or any way to appeal the decision (I tried). Total totalitarian video website governance on something that can easily be fixed.
Seems, an old video from 2008 (during my video re-copying days) was the culprit that I was charged and sentenced with. My YouTube page is gone & obliterated over what?
It was an indie music artist I happen to like his music and respect his work and messages. He also someone I have had contact with online in the past couple years. The artist mr.j.medieros and his video “Constance” was counted as copyright infringement.
The only reason I wanted to put his video on my page was to give it more exposure, exposure that I feel the artist deserved.
I’m upset because my only recourse was in submitting a 200 character reply as to why there was a mistake/deserve your site back. Clearly not enough to say it in.
I’m disappointed because I put untold hours upon hours making that YouTube page better and more relevant to my demographic – indie music fans. Actually, many articles have used my videos in stories that were published, and now are empty shells.
I haven’t decided if I’m going to start a new YouTube page yet, because it seems so stupid that for someone who made the changes and tried to follow the rules after I made mistakes, is penalized for something that happened in this way before (I forgot the mr.j.medeiros video was still on my roster of 220+ videos).
YouTube doesn’t care whatever what I think, but it is a complete idiot policy that their is no recourse when you have a valid claim. I’ve lost untold hours of work, for this mix up.
Do you really think I would film, edit, upload over 100 HD videos of mine, and spent that much time, if I wanted to test YouTube’s patience and get kicked out with strike three? Obviously not, horrible lesson learned..
I’m sure there are thousands of other voices who have similar experiences to this simplistic YouTube page killing system. I’d love to hear your opinions because even though it’s been a few months now, it still sickens me…
I keep to saying to myself, what’s the point of putting up blogs that are rants? And basically, if I feel myself justified in making the claim/charge, and it will help me feel better & deal with what happened…then why not?
~Jason