YouTube censorship and false copyright claims

Ok folks, it's official: YouTube has finally "jumped the shark."

I received a message today that YouTube is claiming a COPYRIGHT VIOLATION on my rendition of the 150 year old Christmas hymn "Silent Night" on behalf of an entity entitled "Music Publishing Rights Collecting Society," which is not even a real legal entity as far as I can tell. Here's the video in dispute:




This is BULLSHIT. First of all, "Silent Night" was composed over 150 years ago, and is well within the realm of "public domain" in any jurisdiction on Earth. The music was written by Franz Xaver Gruber in 1818, and the English language lyrics were written by John Freeman Young in 1859, so any copyright on the musical composition expired a long time ago.

In my rendition, I used my own arrangement, comprising of an acoustic guitar track and a harmonica track (a Hohner Blues Harp in the key of A). All music was performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered solely by me in my home studio, and the three vocal tracks were all my vocals.

I suspect the reason why YouTube made the copyright claim was due to the fact that my video was flagged by their automated "Content ID" software, and no human even looked at it. So, to that extent, it might just be a software error. Nevertheless, my rights to free speech as an American citizen should not be infringed upon due to YouTube's inability to write software that actually works properly. As far as I can tell, it is a violation of the DMCA to make a false copyright infringement claim, with substantial statutory penalties, and I reserve all rights to take appropriate future action along those lines.

Of course I am contesting this claim. If you agree that this is a completely ridiculous action on the part of Youtube, please post a message of support below.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

Living in Interesting Times (Original song)

Here's a song I wrote. It's an alternative folk song about living in this day and age. I hope you enjoy it.



Lyrics:

On the road there's a hiding place
That brings me back to outer space
And says to me win another race
And I pray to God give me a happy face

On the sea there's a leaky ship
That snaps the waves just like a whip
I hold my loved ones to my hip
And I pray to God we don't take a dip

The man on the TV says to me
We are living in interesting times
I don't know what the hell that means
That phrase to me isn't worth a dime

There's a bird up in the air
Who flies along without a care
She sings a song that sounds quite rare
A sound quite beautiful to be fair

There's a fox down on the ground
Who hunts the bird without a sound
He'll get the bird if she can be found
But he better watch out for the righteous hound

The man on the TV says to me
We are living in interesting times
It doesn't mean that much to me
That phrase to me isn't worth a dime

There's a storm up in the sky
A sight so ugly you want to cry
Makes you hope that you don't die
But you'll make it through if you try

There's a rainbow far away
We'll try to get there any way
Without a doubt there are dues we will pay
But we'll wait till tomorrow, it's a new day

The man on the TV says to me
We are living in interesting times
I don't know what the hell that means
That phrase to me isn't worth a dime

Copyright (c) Andy Hoskinson, All Rights Reserved

How to play "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" by Jimmy Buffett

This is my version of Jimmy Buffett's classic island escapism song on acoustic guitar. This song is played in the key of D, using just three chords: D, G, and A. Check out the video below, grab your guitar and play along. Enjoy!