YouTube softening its position on indie videos?

Australian indie labels and acts are anxiously watching to see if their videos will get yanked from YouTube after all.

Overseas reports this week suggested that after a global outcry, YouTube has softened its policy. It had threatened to drop videos from labels which did not sign licensing to its upcoming music streaming service.

Europe indie trade group IMPALA filed a complaint with the European Commission, accusing YouTube of anticompetitive behavior. Since then YouTube has backed off, but made no official statement.

YouTube has one billion viewers each month, watching six billion hours of video, and 80% of traffic comes from outside the US. According to unconfirmed overseas reports yesterday, it made US$3.5 billion in advertising revenue in 2013. If these figures are correct, it would be less than the market estimates, which put its 2013 revenue at $5.6 billion. It would also mean that YouTube only accounts for less than 7% of parent Google’s $58 billion revenue.