The Italian musician and social media personality spoke about absurd difficulties that he faced while running his 13.4mil subscribers strong 14-year old YouTube channel.
Unjust copyright strikes have long plagued many a YouTubers. But things turn surreal when Beethoven himself returned from the grave to claim royalties. That’s what a user comment comically hinted at under the latest video by the popular bassist and YouTuber Davide Biale, better known as Davie504.
Davie504, best known for his viral bass challenge videos and musical stunts, in his latest video titled, “YouTube is shutting down my channel”, revealed that his bass cover of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata“, triggered a copyright strike. The claimant was industry giant Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). Davie’s dispute was rejected, leaving his channel at risk, two more strikes could see it shut down.
You May Also Enjoy > Revolutionary Rhythms: The 1960s -70s Counter-Culture, Music and Impact
Smaller channels at greater risk from YT’s automated copyright system
But this sort of claim by big labels on classical music isn’t new. In 2018, Sony issued a strike against British pianist James Rhodes covering Bach. Social media backlash then forced the publisher to abandon the claim to the classical piece. Such cases expose flaws in YouTube’s automated copyright system, which often flags public-domain classical works. While the compositions are free to perform, labels’ recordings can still be copyrighted, leading the system to wrongly target covers.
In response to such issues, nonprofit platform Musopen, founded by Aaron Dunn in 2006, has commissioned public‑domain recordings of complete Beethoven piano sonatas and the works of Chopin, funded largely through Kickstarter. These projects aim to provide freely available versions for the public at large.
While covers of classical music are unfairly targeted, fair-use educational content tends to have a tougher time. Another user comment suggested that Davie contact prominent music educator and commentator Rick Beato for legal aid, who has successfully contested and overturned thousands of YouTube copyright claims by asserting fair use.
With more than 13 million subscribers, Davie504 warned that “nobody is safe” from such strikes. Smaller channels lack the resources to recover from the loss of income or potential channel deletion, which such claims can trigger. He has urged fans to follow him on Patreon and Cameo, stating, “If these two fail as well, you’re gonna find me on the streets playing bass.”
Check out our latest interviews > “We Can do Something Even More Eclectic,” Reflects Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt on a collab with Steven Wilson
Check out our Spotify playlists.
Visit our YouTube channel for music reviews, playlists, podcasts, and more!
