Youtube BOC uploading etiquette - what are your views

miklatov · Post by **miklatov** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 11:16 am

Hi all,

Obviously there are a ton of BOC tracks on youtube (both forward and reverse!), but I was wondering what the etiquette is and what your views on it are? Do you look down on the uploaders or hold them high for spreading the good word? Also, do you feel it's far too soon to be putting any TH tracks on there yet?

I really have no clue on this, and the reason I ask is that I was considering uploading something, but it got me thinking about whether it's a good or bad idea. For now, I'm erring on the side of caution. Don't want to tread on anyone's toes after all

.

Cheers!

Techboy · Post by **Techboy** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 12:02 pm

I think just uploading tracks is probably not ideal, unless you have made some sort of artistic contribution yourself, such as a music video or a mix.

bluesky · Post by **Fredd-E** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 12:16 pm

Techboy wrote:I think just uploading tracks is probably not ideal, unless you have made some sort of artistic contribution yourself, such as a music video or a mix.

QFT

justin · Post by **justin** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 4:51 pm

I don't want to speculate how the band or warp feels about this topic , though If I was the artist in question I would feel flattered about all the free publicity I was getting .Seeing your fan base spread is a great feeling . Obviously I would love if everyone bought all of my songs, However in today's world no matter who you are that just isn't realistic anymore. The 80's are over .
So long as I was able to earn a fair compensation consistently from my work id be content .

If someone posted my work online illegally but spent the time and labour to make an amazing music video for a song even if the label's lawyers demanded it be taken down, I would personally intervene to prevent it . Art in exchange for art for me at least would be the highest compensation there is ... that or various halliburton suitcases filled with cash delivered to my tropical tax haven of choice .

rainier · Post by **rainier** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 6:04 pm

Yeah I noticed the TH tracks up with no vids or anything and thought it was kind of shitty. Just buy the album. But fan vids and stuff and the old tunes etc I don't have a problem with. It's just fans showing love/free publicity.

Basefree · Post by **Basefree** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:08 pm

For Youtube I think anything goes, and Boards is no exception. I also don't understand how putting TH tracks there without any videos could hurt the band in any way. If people want to sample the music before buying it, I think it's better they do it on Youtube rather than seeking a full rip off the internet and then deciding to stick with it since they had to go through the effort of getting it on their hard drive.

mc10101 · Post by **mc10101** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 9:36 pm

Basefree wrote:For Youtube I think anything goes, and Boards is no exception. I also don't understand how putting TH tracks there without any videos could hurt the band in any way. If people want to sample the music before buying it, I think it's better they do it on Youtube rather than seeking a full rip off the internet and then deciding to stick with it since they had to go through the effort of getting it on their hard drive.

I agree absolutely, but its artistically lazy to simply upload tracks to YouTube without so much as a 'found' piece of old footage to compliment it. It's become a bit of a tradition now anyway for the fans to make BOC's videos - I'm assuming Neil Krug is a fan

Basefree · Post by **Basefree** » Thu Jul 04, 2013 10:13 pm

mc10101 wrote:I agree absolutely, but its artistically lazy to simply upload tracks to YouTube without so much as a 'found' piece of old footage to compliment it. It's become a bit of a tradition now anyway for the fans to make BOC's videos - I'm assuming Neil Krug is a fan

There's artistic freedom too, though. Some prefer the album cover, some prefer a black box. In this light the idea of any etiquette existing feels absurd.

zeoevil · Post by **zeoevil** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 1:21 am

They should be real tracks that have been confirmed to be real or they should be labeled appropriately as tracks believed to be real tracks that have not been confirmed to be real.

squid · Post by **squid** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 1:34 am

A big way I find music is by listening to it first on YouTube, then if I like it, buying the music. It's how I found BoC, in fact! Listening to Music Has the Right on YouTube is what got me into them in the first place. Now I own all the (officially released) albums on CD, and am nearly through collecting all their EP's on CD, too (one to go). So, at least in my personal experience, having tracks available on YouTube is definitely a good thing. For me and for the musician!

PlacentaSand · Post by **PlacentaSand** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 4:05 am

I made the Cold Earth video purely out of love for Boards of Canada.

purgruv · Post by **purgruv** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 9:21 am

I think the reason why people upload music with no vid and just the artwork is it's an easy way for it to shared and allow people to rip it via youtubetomp3.com or similar. This is how YouTube music uploads hurt the artist.

GRIM.657 · Post by **GRIM.657** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 5:49 pm

Youtube is a great way to discover music. The amount of music on youtube is kind of amazing, honestly. Considering all of the "illegal" videos in BoC's warp-managed youtube playlist, I don't think they have much of an issue with it.

If people want music for free they will get it for free. If they want to pay for something they will pay for it. Uploading content to youtube doesn't make a difference, and if anything only provides more opportunity for exposure.

d e n · Post by **d e n** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:12 am

i'm also unsure of what 'free publicity' actually means. it's not like people randomly come across a Boards of Canada song on youtube without some prior knowledge. e.g from a friend, or website, where they could music from that friend or get the music themselves.

Basefree · Post by **Basefree** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 12:37 pm

d e n wrote:i'm also unsure of what 'free publicity' actually means. it's not like people randomly come across a Boards of Canada song on youtube without some prior knowledge. e.g from a friend, or website, where they could music from that friend or get the music themselves.

Huh? I find Boards' tunes often on the related videos list when listening to some electronic artists on Youtube. Of course people come across the music randomly.

seanandcandy · Post by **seanandcandy** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 12:44 pm

d e n wrote:i'm also unsure of what 'free publicity' actually means. it's not like people randomly come across a Boards of Canada song on youtube without some prior knowledge. e.g from a friend, or website, where they could music from that friend or get the music themselves.

same as basefree for me, found them on a related video after watching a My Red Hot Car fan made video....
plus, we have first had evidence that the brothers don't mind fan made videos as they have a whole playlist full of them on their official youtube......

d e n · Post by **d e n** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 12:50 pm

noby · Post by **noby** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 12:50 pm

Basefreem, seanandcandy: I on your side of the argument on that, but YouTube optimizes the related-sections the same way google optimizes search results. Someone who hasn't watched video related to Boc on the site before is far less likely to have one recommended to him/her.

seanandcandy · Post by **seanandcandy** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 1:02 pm

noby wrote:Basefreem, seanandcandy: I on your side of the argument on that, but YouTube optimizes the related-sections the same way google optimizes search results. Someone who hasn't watched video related to Boc on the site before is far less likely to have one recommended to him/her.

well, sure i guess... but i had never searched or heard of boards of canada before that day in 2005.... im not saying its a certainty to rake in the new fans, but.... if the band didn't like it, they would simply make the moves that have open to them to shut the videos down, would they not?

Basefree · Post by **Basefree** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 1:32 pm

noby wrote:Basefreem, seanandcandy: I on your side of the argument on that, but YouTube optimizes the related-sections the same way google optimizes search results. Someone who hasn't watched video related to Boc on the site before is far less likely to have one recommended to him/her.

I'm aware of this, but I don't think it's far less likely. Youtube keeps pushing me a lot smaller and bigger electronic artists I've never heard of, and Boards probably scores in the bigger league, ie. gets recommended a lot. I don't know what sort of algorithms run in the background, of course, but for example when I listen to Aphex Twin on Youtube on my laptop without being logged in, I often see Boards there.

Either way, still on the topic of free publicity, with embedded songs you can come across the music anywhere, not just on Youtube, which makes you only one click away from hearing it. And the name is displayed on the screen whether you listen to the music or not, so that's like advertising.

seanandcandy wrote:if the band didn't like it, they would simply make the moves that have open to them to shut the videos down, would they not?

I don't even understand where the idea of them disliking Youtube uploads comes from. I think they make a great use of the fan videos with their playlists. They definitely endorse it. TH leaks before the set release date were another thing, understandably, but we're past that now.