Gone are the days when anyone can YouTube a random clip and possibly end up with porn, or footage of a person dying. YouTube has cleaned up its act and has become a more wholesome entertainment avenue. Since it has gone mainstream and is reaching a broader audience, more responsibility is certainly necessary. Farewell the pirate days of yore.

Even though the porn and demoralized material is gone, my favorite part about YouTube was the unlicensed viewing of music videos and performances. However, the music industry got involved quick. They put an end to unauthorized broadcasting of studio recordings.

Thus, I took a chance on uploading my recent YouTube clip. I knew I had published a clip with entirely appropriated materal. As an artist I like to exercise my creative liberties, no matter how guerrilla in nature. The video footage was borrowed then re-edited, and the music was an obnoxious reproduction. I knew that YouTube would probably catch wind and remove the video immediately.

However, the video is still intact and the worst thing that happened was that YouTube informed me that the song, Lee Goofed, may have copyrights, and they might put ads at the end of my clip. I thought the worst thing that could happen to an artist was that they get shut down, rather, I now know the worse thing is inadvertently becoming a marketing agent for the man!

Tags: YouTube, Media, Music