Diamond Rings mastermind John O’Regan and fledgling indie music documentarian Colin Medley received a baffling shock this week. On the morning of Wednesday December 9, their music video for Diamond Rings’ “All Yr Songs” was removed by YouTube, apparently at the behest of Sony BMG who claimed the pair committed copyright infringement. “Neither Colin or myself were consulted by either Sony BMG or YouTube before the video was removed and we therefore are unclear as to whom or what we are infringing upon,” O’Regan said in a written statement.
Aside from threatening to terminate Medley’s account, YouTube also sent him an e-mail stating that “we received a notification of claimed copyright infringement regarding the video from Sony BMG Music Entertainment. When we’re notified that a particular video uploaded to our site infringes another’s copyright, we remove the material as the law requires.” Without any explanation as to why, apparently?
Since its debut in August 2009, the “All Yr Songs” single/video has received glowing reviews from Pitchfork, Exclaim!, CBC Radio 3, a variety of international blogs, and, before its removal the video was approaching 50,000 views. Diamond Rings is currently mixing his debut album, with plans to release a new single in 2010. Despite the vague weirdness of this move by YouTube and Sony BMG, O’Regan is kinda, sorta giving them the benefit of the doubt. “Hopefully this is all just a big misunderstanding and Sony BMG will call us up tomorrow to offer us a whole bunch of autographed Beyoncé or Modest Mouse albums for our troubles,” he wrote. “In the meantime I’m totally throwing out my Sony Sports Walkman.”
Check out DiamondRings.com for updates.
