BALCONY TV, the "best music website" in the 2007 Irish Digital Media Awards, was switched off by YouTube yesterday. This was not unexpected. YouTube had sent several emails to the Balcony crew informing them that various Balcony TV shows violated copyright rules. Specifically, the bands Super Jimenez and The Dirty 9s are signed acts and the music IP people control their placement. YouTube deleted those videos, as well as Barry McCabe's performance, along with more than 200 videos uploaded by the Balcony TV crew. "It's dreadful. It's shock-horror. I don't know what we're going to do," says Tom Millett from his balcony over Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland. [1.3 MB 96 kbps MP3 file] The crew has started shooting new content again and hosting it on MySpace. First up: Eamonn O'Connor (pictured).
Thousands of bloggers are concerned about YouTube's knee-jerk copyright policy. We know we're walking the same line at podcasting.ie when we carry backing tracks of signed artists under the spoken comments of third level students. I could be served with a take-down notice when I record dictapause moments in Irish venues with signed artists playing in the background of the venues. This is a real threat to unsigned artists as well because if the key used to perform a track is the same as a signed and protected artist track and then the electronic signature looks the same on screen, you're toast.
Stephen O'Regan -- "The Full Story"
Brian Greene -- "Balcony TV Off Air"
Acid Planet links to a short podcast where you can hear the news at http://podcasting.ie/snippets/balcony_offair.mp3
Brad Stone -- "New Weapon in the War on Piracy"
