Google Search #FAIL Means More $$$ for Them

Google Search #FAIL Means More $$$ for Them

by | Copyright

Not to beat a dead horse, but surprise, surprise….I did a Google search this morning to see how easy it would be to find download links for “Kyss Mig,” a recently released  Swedish indie film.  I used Google to search for “download kyss mig” from this past month, and….oops, so much for Google’s new search algorithm that’s supposed to penalize (reported) pirate sites.  Why am I not surprised that The Pirate Bay result tops the list?

Maybe if I use the less pirate-centric term “watch” instead of “download” I’ll have better luck finding a legit source?  Um, well, no, guess that won’t work either. Once again the top search results are sites notorious for linking to pirated films.  Even more maddening is what I discovered when I clicked the first link…

Not only did I find the full film streaming (for free) online (I checked and actually viewed the first ten minutes) but right beside was a Netflix advertisement.  When I checked the source of the ad I found it led me back to “doubleclick.net” a Google-owned company.  Perhaps this is how Google expects users to find legit copies of the film?  After all, Kyss Mig does stream on Netflix….kind of a roundabout way to find the film when I can watch it right here, right now for free!  Of course Google makes money from the ad either way (as does the pirate website) so what do they care?  Hmmm, perhaps the Google ad placement has something to do with why this pirate site is comes up first in search results?  Not to don my tin foil hat but….

A full (free) stream of the indie film “Kyss Mig” was easy to find thanks to Google search results–result that generated ad revenue for Google and website operators. BTW, movie is now offline since I reported it to the distributor.

I guess I’m going to have to be a good girl and use the search terms “buy Kiss Mig.”  Only then am I given results that lead me to legit options.

BTW, I notified the distributor that the film was available via this pirate site so as of Monday, December 10th, this illegal stream is history.  Too bad I can’t say the same for the website itself.

via NPR-How Much do Artists Make on Youtube?

via NPR-How Much do Artists Make on Youtube?

by | Copyright

NPR’s Laura Sydell has a story today that examines how much musicians earn via Youtube’s ad monetization, “Youtube Shares Ad Revenue With Musicians, But Does it Add Up?

YouTube is well-known for videos, but a recent Nielsen study revealed 64 percent of teens and young adults go to it to listen to and discover music. The free website, which is owned by Google, has set up advertising deals to help musicians get compensated. But it’s not clear how they’re getting paid — or how much.

First of all, I’d point out that Google didn’t “set up” advertising deals to “help” musicians get compensated.  Advertising on YouTube was established to help Google make money.  For them, compensating artists in some fashion is merely a part of doing business.  Google’s motivations aside, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post on YouTube’s monetization program:

The other grey area with regard to the Content ID system and monetization is the utter lack of transparency.  How much does Google actually make off the ads that appear next to your content?  It’s not entirely clear and something Google should fix.  One can only assume it’s to Google’s benefit, and not the artist’s, to keep this part of the system as opaque as possible.

Bottom line, musicians and filmmakers whose work is routinely uploaded to YouTube without permission can make some money from it.  Time for Google to tell us exactly how much they are making.  Anything less than full transparency is unacceptable.