3 ms·

> Programs like yl-dlp bypass this - non-premium users can download ad-free videos contributing a single view to a video and consume that content any number of

> Programs like yl-dlp bypass this - non-premium users can download ad-free videos contributing a single view to a video and consume that content any number of times. Youtube no longer makes advertising revenue per view, and content creators no long get their cut. Why should they get a cut every time I view a video? If I watch a video saved to disk I use 0% of YouTube's infrastructure and cost the creator 0% in extra expenses. Do I owe them a cut if I remember part of a video? Do I owe them a double amount of ad watching if I watch the video with someone else? Do they owe me a cut if they repeated a detail from a Wikipedia article I edited or web page I wrote? What about their college history professor that taught them a historical fact, do they need to go back and pay them when they reference it in their video? For any bit of created media there are hundreds of uncredited and uncompensated second order contributions. The idea that someone making a YouTube video should get compensated every time I watch it is absolutely absurd. They're certainly not tracking down every second order contribution to the video and compensating them in turn.

mvdtnz 3y ago
Well, why shouldn't they get a cut? If I pirate a video game or music CD it also costs the artists $0 when I use it. But if I wasn't getting value out of it I wouldn't have bothered to pirate it. Why should you get that value for nothing?
- giantrobot 3y ago
  You're approaching the concept from the position that there's some moral imperative that a media creator needs to be paid in perpetuity for every experiential instance of their work. If you buy a CD you pay for it one time. The artist doesn't get a nickel every time you play a track. You could put it on repeat for 50 years and they'll never get more than your up front payment. The only entity being paid is your power company for running that CD player for 50 years. If you powered the CD player with a solar panel and battery would you feel the utility company needs to be paid for your use of electricity despite not using any of their infrastructure? You don't send a plumber a check every time you flush your toilet. If I watch a YouTube video once it's simply ludicrous to suggest I need to pay for a second viewing if I'm not using anyone's infrastructure but my own.

mvdtnz 3y ago

Well, why shouldn't they get a cut? If I pirate a video game or music CD it also costs the artists $0 when I use it. But if I wasn't getting value out of it I wouldn't have bothered to pirate it. Why should you get that value for nothing?

giantrobot 3y ago
You're approaching the concept from the position that there's some moral imperative that a media creator needs to be paid in perpetuity for every experiential instance of their work. If you buy a CD you pay for it one time. The artist doesn't get a nickel every time you play a track. You could put it on repeat for 50 years and they'll never get more than your up front payment. The only entity being paid is your power company for running that CD player for 50 years. If you powered the CD player with a solar panel and battery would you feel the utility company needs to be paid for your use of electricity despite not using any of their infrastructure? You don't send a plumber a check every time you flush your toilet. If I watch a YouTube video once it's simply ludicrous to suggest I need to pay for a second viewing if I'm not using anyone's infrastructure but my own.