Youtube has reportedly asked musicians to agree to not criticise the streaming-video service in exchange for promotional support, according to a Bloomberg report. The move is being seen as a way to deal with issues raised by artists and the music industry against the platform for poor payments and revenue sharing. In the past few months, YouTube has given a handful of musicians a few hundred thousand dollars to produce videos and has promoted their work on billboards and ads. This has been seen as an effort by the video streaming giant to mend fences with the music industry, which has been critical of YouTube relatively low royalty payments. Yet such support comes with a catch, says the Bloomberg report, with some musicians required to promise that they won’t make negative comments about YouTube. The report quotes individuals who chose to remain anonymous. Non-disparagement agreements are common in business, but YouTube’s biggest direct competitors in music don’t require them, the people said. The report also says the agreements apply to partners who make original series for its paid service (YouTube Red) and “go beyond a requirement not to criticize the video site.” What that exactly means has not been elaborated. The Verge reported that YouTube’s new music streaming service, Remix, is rumoured to launch this March, but it is contingent on the company coming to agreeable deals with all three of the big US music publishers. The music industry has put pressure on YouTube for years, criticizing its payouts to musicians and labels, as…
