LONDON – British music fans will no longer be able to watch music videos on YouTube after Google blocked viewings during a dispute over licensing.
Google started to block British viewers from watching “premium music videos” from last night, but said it would take several days until all professional music videos were covered by the restriction.
The internet giant described it as a “painful decision”, which it knew would cause “significant disappointment”.
Royalty collection agency PRS for Music licenses Google to make music videos available to British users on YouTube, but the firms are negotiating a new deal.
PRS for Music said it was shocked by Google’s “drastic action”, which it said would punish music lovers and songwriters.
The collection society, which issues licences and collects royalties on behalf of copyright holders, said Google wanted to pay “significantly less than at present to the writers of the music”, while Google said the deal it was offered would result in it losing money every time a video was played.
A statement from Google said: “Our previous licence from PRS for Music has expired, and we’ve been unable so far to come to an agreement to renew it on terms that are economically sustainable for us.” It said “prohibitive licensing fees” were an obstacle in the negotiations.
PRS for Music said it was “outraged on behalf of consumers and songwriters”. The measures will not affect customers in the Republic of Ireland.