Google has shut down at least six popular music blogs that it claims violated copyright law. The sites, which were hosted by Google’s Blogger and Blogspot services, received notice only after the sites – and years of music and written archives – were wiped off the net.
The owners of the blogs all received a letter that stated in part; ‘We’d like to inform you that we’ve received another complaint regarding your blog. Upon review of your account, we’ve noted that your blog has repeatedly violated Blogger’s Terms of Service … [and] we’ve been forced to remove your blog. Thank you for your understanding.
The owners of Pop Tarts, Masala, I Rock Cleveland, To Die By Your Side, It’s a Rap and Living Ears are understandably unhappy. Although posting mp3s on these sites is technically illegal, such activities have been operating on the fringes of the internet for many years and many of these blogs are actively courted by record labels. There is confusion as to which recordings are subject to copyright as many are released as promo tracks and then revert to copyright protection after a certain period. As one of the fastest trending topics on Twitter, this has all the hallmarks of record companies shooting themselves in the foot and alienating music fans.
