It Couldn't Happen Here

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I heard the latest Pet Shop Boys album last week. It's not actually out yet, but there's never a shortage of people who are (a) clever and (b) generous with the fruits of their cleverness.

It helps that the music industry is hopelessly disorganised and wouldn't know the opportunities of new technology if it fell on them. Which indeed it has.

Back in December, Warner Music decided they couldn't bear to have only a trickle of money coming in from YouTube plays of their bands, so having failed to bully YouTube into paying an exorbitant amount, withdrew all their videos.

No more money, no more free publicity. A really intelligent business strategy.

YouTube then installed a widget which could take you from a video to an online store selling the music. Sales for companies like Sony picked up for a few weeks - until Sony decided they weren't getting enough money from YouTube plays...and withdrew all their videos.

Realising they'd done something really, really stupid, Sony reopened negotiations and now their videos are back.

Where does YouTube get the money from to pay Sony half a cent per play? From the steadily growing amount of annoying advertisements that now litter YouTube pages.

Have you ever clicked on one of the ads? Me neither.

Two extra details. Sony are angling to get the payment increased to .8 of a cent. And they've still trying to push their own competitor to YouTube. It's called eyeVio and after a year in operation it's still Japanese only.

Oh, the album? It's called "Yes", and it veers between austere Marsheaux territory and early New Order, but still centering on the familiar introspective soulful synthpop.

If you liked the "Nightlife", "Bilingual" and "Behavior", and you like what Bernard Sumner's been doing lately, you'll like this.

Would I buy it? No, and not just because I don't have any money. I'm glad to have heard it, but I prefer bands who sound like...well, the early Pet Shop Boys.

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