A Polish pianist, Krystian Zimerman interrupted a recital because he spied an audience member recording his performance. Later he told the audience “The destruction of music through YouTube is enormous.”
Franz Ohnesorg, the director of the Ruhr Piano Festival where Zimerman was performing is quoted in the Telegraph that Zimerman “drew attention to a serious problem — that these pieces are available, and free of charge is an act of theft.”
Now I’m not an expert on copyright law, but I’m fairly certain that the classical music that is being performed is in the public domain. Of course the specific depictions of the performance are probably protected by local copyright and the distribution of these recordings are probably illegal. However I disagree with the conclusion that it’s an act of theft. Theft suggests that there is a loss of property and I don’t know that the Ruhr Piano Festival actively has a scheme to monetize their content.
Just because content non-owners are using YouTube as a distribution mechanism does not mean that music is being destroyed. Instead I have found that it helps expose new audiences to music and performances they may not necessarily have been interested in. Much like the radio.
Quite often I encounter complaints like this by content owners and I think what they really are complaining about is their inability to use these new distribution mechanisms to monetize their efforts. The destruction they face is probably to the perspective and opinion that they have held and their inability to adapt to new opportunities.
What do I know? I’ve never tried to make a living as a professional musician or run a piano festival.
Link to the LA Times post: Kristian Zimerman reportedly halts recital, criticizes YouTube