Fair Play for Creators

I pledge my support for the Fair Play for Creators campaign...

I wholeheartedly support Fair Play for Creators in their negotiations with Google.

Don't deny us what we're due - Play Fair!

I fully support this campaign because, as pointed out by PRS for Music, 90% of our membership earn less than £10,000 a year. Music takes a great deal of dedication, enthusiasm and money to produce and this would be a fair way to ensure reward if the work is of a good standard.

The general public need to be educated to respect music as a valued art form and not a disposable commodity. We as creators must stand together and not be down trodden by corporate giants such as Google/YouTube. They have to realise that without original music YouTube would have very little to offer!

I support 100% the idea that composers, musicians, singers, lyricists and other music creators should get paid for their work. Making music is a labour of love - it takes time, not just to make each piece of music but in the long years of learning and playing and experimenting. Musicians need something to live on during that time, and afterwards too when they are getting older.

I fully support the Fair Play for Creators Campaign.

What a shame and disgrace. It's like using our music for free, as a way of making money with no respect to the creators' rights. Shame on Google.

It's ridiculous that Google think they can get away with paying less for music, when its music that brings such a high number of visitors to YouTube. How would they feel if someone stepped in and tried to take away their money for something they rightfully created and own. The creators of music should be fairly paid for their hard work making music for the enjoyment of others. Taking away royalties will only have a knock-on effect, making this a very short-sighted move by Google.

Google are damaging both artists and consumers through their short-sightedness, and will end up damaging themselves in the long term.

Are all to work for Google now?

Google has to understand it has a duty to pay for the music broadcast on YouTube films: cinema and television recognises that fact and internet broadcasters should be no different.

It's only right and fair that Google pays the going rate to transmit our work via the internet. It's unthinkable that when the MTV revolution rolled into town all those years ago that it would have tried to use our work without paying us. Google isn't doing anything different to MTV - or any other broadcaster for that matter - it simply transmits our music to its customers via a different medium (more evolution than revolution I say) and it has to pay us for that. And it astounds (and offends) me that just because its customers can access our work free of charge, Google assumes by default that it doesn't have to pay us, the copyright owers! It amounts to nothing more than theft and I question Google's business model, both morally and financially. As much as I embrace the advancements the internet brings to our lives, it's important that it's not seen as the "Cyber Wild West" - rules and regulations apply just as much there as in the real world, for the benefit of everyone, not just the few.

It’s the new guys on the way up who get hurt by the internet, we have had a huge amount of online plays as well as TV and radio but all the downloads end up free. Making music is a vocation but that does not mean it’s free, as a band esOterica pay for it on our own. I will make music forever but I wonder if I will always be able to afford to record it?

In a world where all other service providers are paid properly in their respective industries, it continues to irk me that the providers and producers of humankind's 'food for the soul', musicians, continue to be marginalised and treated as second class citizens, where their product isn't deemed worthy of being paid for. If we aren't paid fairly, we will have to get other jobs if we are to survive. And if we all did that, there would be no more music. We deserve respect and a fair deal, surely?

I fully support the Fair Play for Creators action.

It's ridiculous that Google believe our songs are worth nothing. Composers and songwriters struggle to make a living as it is and now a huge international company say they can't afford to pay us? In addition who benefits from the removal of the videos? No one. Strange logic, this is.

However big or small the artist, they should be paid for the usage of their work.

I want to be able to continue to earn my living through writing and singing. Not enough appreciation or respect is given to the creators of music and financially this often shows (which is why this petition and people finally calling attention to this is so brilliant). I want to be paid fairly for what I do, just as any other worker in any other job would expect.

This just shows that Google have no idea about the creative input into music, and that it shouldn't be given away for free. Glad PRS for Music is fighting our corner!

I find it ludicrous that Google/YouTube refuse to pay fair fees to the creators on the backs whom they make an enormous profit. Shame on YouTube. Shame on Google. Get with it.

I'm a First year ND Music student, front a band and have a lot of side-projects, I'm not currently a member of PRS for Music but I intend to join shortly. I believe that Google have just proved themselves to be corporate tyrants, and I also feel that for something such as YouTube, artists should receive a similar royalty fee to that of radio to TV broadcasting. It’s just ridiculous.

It's about time something is done. For too long, the artistes/songwriters/musicians have suffered due to the illegal use of their music. About time! Thanks.

Quite right keep up this campaign. Protect artist rights against greedy big business interests.

It's actually embarrassing to discover how little regard huge corporations dealing in the broadcasting of work by independent UK songwriters give to the fact that we slog our guts out to write and record. It costs a great deal of money and time to do these things. I'm sure the Google bosses would pay a plumber to fix a leak...

Music Creators are the lifeblood of the industry. It is totally unacceptable that their work should be plundered.

With the current state of the industry this is another blow underlying how little people seem to value music.

Well done to PRS for Music for standing up for our rights as indie artists. Not all PRS for Music members are big enough or rich enough to stand up to the bully boy tactics of large and very rich organisations such as Google. So at times of falling CD sales and growing internet piracy, ultimate Respect must go to PRS for Music!

It has always seemed that everyone in the music business is entitled to make money apart from the people that actually create the music in the 1st place, so I feel it is time for the artists to have their say and be supported fairly.

Composers and performers should be paid a fair sum every time their music is played.

Unbelievable... please please please do not back down from your position! Google cannot behave/bully established institutions who protect the owners of copyright material simply because their format is 'new' and 'original'. If we don't protect ourselves now then it will be a slippery slope for the future of songwriters - one which already looks grim.

This is a very real cause that is totally worth supporting.

If Google and companies like them want to revolutionise broadcasting and become the new television/ universal communication platform, they gotta pay for the material that is actually worth watching period, just like the all the other broadcasting companies who without content are nothing. How do they think artists put food in their mouth? boo!

Wake up Google… welcome to the real world …

As an artist creating songs we should be compensated for all our hard work and finances we put into professional music. I fully pledge my support for the Fair Play. I trust and pray that Google do the right thing.

We’re supporting you 100%. C’mon Google sort it out

I completely agree with your campaign.

People deserve to be paid for their work. Simple as that. I personally file PRS for Music returns for my business every month to ensure this happens for the artists we deal with.

Give the musicians what they are owed YouTube.

I support this campaign. We all need to move forward together. Without a fair fee we'll always be pulling in different directions and that will be a disaster for all concerned.

I manage Glasgow band "Suspire" and I believe to keep our Artists in music there has to be fair way of them receiving Remuneration for there work, which in the end of the day that’s how artist's make there money, there providing service and entertainment to people.

It's a rapidly changing environment out there but if professional content creators are not adequately paid for their work how are they supposed to continue? How are new creators expected to live whilst they develop their art and skills? We all need to embrace the changes but it seems to me the ultimate outcome of inadequate fees is less content which in turn would be of a less diverse nature and probably lower quality, or am I missing something?

Sort it out YouTube. Us writers who continually work at evolving our craft so the listener feels something through music need broadcasters to pay out fairly when using our music. I pledge my support, a big thank you to the non profit organization – PRS for Music.

It's about old-fashioned notions of Justice and Courtesy which ought to be extended through this ultra-modern media. Justice: if you make money using songs then pay the songwriters - Courtesy; you acknowledge those people you are using and pay them reasonably and accordingly.

I believe all music should receive an equal royalty from Google for the amount of plays it gets.

The YouTube/Google deal issue is only part of the 'above the law' attitude some internet companies operate (e.g. Streetmap images of people without consent etc). MUSICIANS NEED TO EARN A LIVING SOMEHOW!

Google=billions only fair it pays a royalty to the artist whose music they use and make more money from!

Everyone should be able to make a decent living!

It's a no-brainer!

When I was a child, the candy machine at the local public swimming "broke" and it was suddenly possible to get candy from the machine without putting money in it. We all went wild pushing any button we could as often as we liked until all of the candy in the machine was taken. Days later, we noticed that the manager had not restocked the machine. "I can't restock the candy because I have no money. You see boys, the money you spend, pays for the new candy."

These are crucial times we live in, when decisions are being made that will influence the lives of music creators for years to come, perhaps for generations. With the internet and digital technology the world has evolved, and music now surrounds us 24/7. It is time everyone that benefits from music pay for the content they consume - whether it is a private person listening for pleasure or a for-profit billion-dollar multinational corporation thinking of their bottom line.

YouTube should pay a royalty to musicians who take the time and trouble to make an original video and write an original song. There is far too much free downloading going on with absolutely no royalty payment or any way of proving what is owed to you. Google should be setting an example because without musicians you would have no music full stop. A remuneration however small would be greatly appreciated and I’m sure YouTube would benefit from this as they would become the world leaders of music.

As a community of music creatives we have to stand together and insist that these people [Google, YouTube]will not undermine our right to earn a living from the employment and enjoyment our work.

I support this campaign as is good that some returns should be available to all whose works are made public, nation building etc, all influenced by creative works and PRS for Music, ASCAP societies and unions, etc all help and support where ever they can.

I have only been playing guitar for about a year and a half and I have been trying to write songs and it is hard and I don't see why somebody shouldn't get paid by greedy Google for it. I pledge my support for the Fair Play for Creators campaign...

Music Composition is a profession that needs to be acknowledged. Music performances in concert, recordings as well as files on the internet need to be acknowledged by an appropriate payment to the creators.

Perhaps the directors at Google would consider offering their advertising facilities free of charge, thus depriving themselves of their rightful income. Music will pull in many of their site users, so why will they not pay the writers their rightful income?

Music should be paid for in whatever form it is taken whether the purchase of a CD or on line. As this is the only way that the music industry can develop, and small artists like myself can try to make a living.

Good luck with this important campaign.

Every independent music company will be supporting PRS for Music. We have had - and continue to have - our own battles with internet services who pay the major record companies 'because they have to' and tell us that exposure is good promotion, leaving many bands and small companies living on hot air. Go PRS for Music!

Why do people expect us to create wealth for them, yet receive nothing in return? Just be fair to us...

If companies like Google use artists' material, they should pay something however small, otherwise it is stealing. YouTube is a great idea and has some wonderful things on it. But to remove music is very sad indeed. There needs to be negotiations between Google and the PRS for Music to form an agreement which will be fair and beneficial to all.

Being one of the thousands of virtually unknown songwriters, I make very little from my work. Last year I started to receive revenue from music sites in the USA for streaming of my songs. Although not a huge amount, it helps me. Surely if these smaller sites can pay, Google can. Google/YouTube makes money through its services, why shouldn't we? Put the music back up so everyone can enjoy it and we penniless songwriters can get some exposure.

Apparently Google wishes to turn back the clock and emulate the days of the original Napster and not follow the example set by the current Napster, its only fair that anyone that benefits from music they didn’t create would feel the need to have the creators benefit also, the old something for nothing philosophy.

You take your car to be serviced. You pay the mechanic. You have your windows cleaned. You pay the window cleaner... You pay your mortgage and/or your rent to be able to have a roof over your head and somewhere to sleep. Try walking out of a shoe shop without paying and see what happens!

As a Music Publisher, it is essential that the complete support of our music is given, both financially and morally, in order to invest in the future of music.

I am totally in favour of this stance against Google, the all-gobbling one. 'You Raise Me Up' has had millions of plays on YouTube - and sure... I get a very impressive royalty statement from PRS...of about 30 pages of YouTube royalties...coming to about 30 pence...and I think, what a waste of both our environmental and our creative resource.

Thank you so much for standing up on behalf of music creators. This is a great time to form positive coalitions with all artists involved in the creative process of music to acheive our goal of a fair and successful music industry fit for the digital age. It is time for change for the better.

At a time when composers and songwriters are having to work incredibly hard to protect their creative endeavours, it is vital that no further erosion of copyright and intellectual property rights is permitted. Most composers earn very little from their writing and it is important that large multinational corporations are not allowed to tramp all over them by paying them next to nothing. If such corporations want to make even bigger profits than they do already then it must not be at the expense of UK musical creativity.

Fair Play is the name of the game.

Of course YouTube should be paying to use music. Alas I don't think we'd be in this situation now if the deal reached two years ago had been done properly.

Once again it’s the giant multinational companies (Google is international) that are always trying to screw the little man. Google says it's green, they are, on our money.

I was concerned when I first heard about the YouTube debate and glad that something is being done in support of the musicians. Too many people seem to think these days that they dont have to pay for music because they are so used to getting it free. You have my full support!

I love chocolate but I don't expect Cadbury's to send me boxes of it for free. Why should music be free? It makes it worthless and devalues it and ultimately means musicians won't be able to afford to make it for the listener unless they have a big fat cheque book and record company behind them.

I didn't sweat and break bones for thirty three years as a professional for nothing. Pay us for our art.!! 100% of nothing is nothing. Let's all make our fair share. You wouldn't get a Picasso for nothing would you?

I can't believe Google think they are in the right; every other organisation that broadcasts music in some way has to pay their fees so why do they think they are exempt.

It's simple - they use our music to provide content for their online services, therefore we should be paid fairly for usage of that content. It's not an unreasonable request. Enough is enough, it's time to stand up to this.

I think this problem is very simple, no agreed royalty payment for copyright music played on YouTube..... No music and if Google can't run YouTube under those conditions then they can shut YouTube down!

My music is regularly viewed thousands of times on YouTube and as such it should be an important income stream for me, either Google should pay up or the isp's should block freely available content altogether so we can return to the days when producers could earn a half decent living, instead of being on the breadline.

I think that a campaign to boycott all Google services until they agree to pay royalty on copyrighted content should be started and enforced by as many people as possible.

It is strange how the impression is given that if artists receive some fair compensation for their work they are being greedy- whereas, giant organizations such as YouTube are not considered that way while making money off of an individuals creations.

For most composers and songwriters it is difficult enough to make a good living, and when Google, through YouTube, seeks to deny creators of music their just desserts you wonder what nasty philistines are running these companies. PRS for Music is entirely right to stick out for decent royalties - all power to their elbow!!!

YouTube is supposed to be a forum allowing the sharing of home videos. But as the site owners have allowed copyright material to included, they are quite simply breaking the law if they do not pay the copyright fees. It's an absolute nonsense to claim they cannot afford to pay - maybe they should charge anyone who posts videos that contain copyright material - which could eventually return the site to its original intended.

It's a fine line between devaluation and robbery, and Google like so many others think they can cross it and trample on creators rights! Songwriters and Performers are the same as everyone else who just want to be fairly paid for doing their job!

Fair play for fair use! If musicians aren't paid for their work, many musicians will not be able to continue to make music. We need more musicians who can earn a living making music, not selling shoes or flipping burgers.

Google's actions are belittling the creative personalities of this world and undermining the value of the arts.

Fair is fair and a monopolistic entity still needs to play by the rules.

It is outrageous that Artist, Composers and Creators of music/video contents used by most of these business that uses our works as the platform for their million/billion Dollar businesses have to be constantly fought tooth and nail to pay reasonable royalties. Most of us Artist/Creators have to suffer, starve and struggle to bring our works to fruition. Most businesses will not support us until they can exploit our works. YouTube we love you but be honest and fair. One love.

I agree with what you say. I'm a singer/songwriter and making very little money from my music. Corporations make it harder for us, and fans should understand that there are some musicians who have to fund releases themselves. Surely they deserve to make a some kind of living?

As a new signed artist about to record our first video tomorrow which we hope would be on YouTube, it is a major concern that all the hard work we have put in over the last many years will not be rewarded in ways it should.

I fully support this campaign.

We want paying for our works on YouTube...go get 'em

100% behind you; it’s ok for the so called big names with their millions it’s the lesser known but equally talented artists that need to benefit.

Songwriters and Composers are creating pieces of art from nothing. They put music there where there was silence before. These works should be fully appreciated and fairly paid for by the people who enjoy them.

Absolutely support you.

It’s disgusting that royalties aren’t being paid to artists, after all if the tables were turned and advertisers didn’t pay Google/YouTube it would be seen as a bad thing for....business. It’s likewise for (music) artists.

Exploitation of musicians and their work in this way simply has to stop.

Google appear to lack common decency and will only damage themselves by continuing with such absurd actions. Musicians will only continue to be trampled upon if they do not speak out.

Creators should be paid, and the audience should be able to see and hear what they want.

I pledge my support for the Fair Play for Creators campaign.

As hard working artist I think I speak for every one when I say stop being greedy. Unfortunately we live in a society which values PROFIT over PRINCIPLE. The way YouTube is treating the very people who make it possible for them to exist is disgusting. DO the right thing and pay today’s artist who work so hard to produce music of such a high quality

Too many people not paying for music usage ....there was at least 50 clips containing our music and we get paid for none of them. This is not fair as we are a small underground music label that exists hand to mouth!

Thanks for all you do for us writers.

I have every sympathy for people who want music to be available to all. The trouble is that if the creators of that music cannot earn a living from it, it will not get created a?" or only by people with non-musical day jobs, who, however talented they may be, have no time to develop a professional technique.

Great campaign - more power to you!

Pay up, YouTube!

Google is one of the biggest internet companies there is. They can afford to pay.

YouTube's huge success has been built on the freedom to access music videos, but because it has been another shop window for artists to get their work out to a potentially massive audience it has been allowed to go unchecked. Who would have guessed at the sheer popularity of the service? Now the viewing numbers are so huge we music creators want a piece of the action. And rightly so! YouTube's success is guaranteed only as long as we're in this together - back scratching comes to mind!

Google's behavior shows it in its true colours, an organisation which has no respect for the composers of music, the writers of lyrics or investors in the business intent on using its commercial muscle to deny creators a fair return.

How on Earth people can think it morally acceptable to make a profit from somebody else's work and not pay for it is beyond me. I am glad that PRS for Music is making this stand because it's on behalf of every musician who has ever been ripped off, and that's an awful lot of us!

I'm all for it! Behind you the whole way!

I obviously agree with all said. Who the hell do Google think they are? If I were to set up a shop selling CD's burnt off my computer I think it would be closed down pretty rapid and would expect a criminal record. They say the site won’t survive if they have to pay composers - well boo hoo mr global superpower you should have thought that through before creating a business based on theft. And as if you can't afford it. Shame on you.

Music is our salvation.