Tech & Biz

Google Shuts Down Major MP3 Music Blogs Without Warning

by amyellensoden | February 11, 2010 at 02:53 pm

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Google has shut down many of their music blogs today without warning. The sudden change has taken many BlogSpot and Blooger users aback as years of archived information on the music blogs has now been deleted under the claim of copyright infringement. Music blog owners of Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, I Rock Cleveland, It's A Rap, Masala, Living Ears, and To Die By Your Side are all BlogSpot or Blogger users who received e-mail messages from Google. The e-mails state that each of these users has violated Blogger's terms of service and will have their music blog removed. Each of these music blogs contained mp3 files and various discussions on music.

Google has deleted at least six popular music blogs that it claims violated copyright law. These sites, hosted by Google's Blogger and Blogspot services, received notices only after their sites – and years of archives – were wiped from the internet.

The music blog owners are upset with Google's decision to ban their blogs. The owner of music blog I Love Cleveland, Bill Lipold, has already complained that he has received copyright infringement notices for songs he had the rights to post in the past.

Music bloggers are arguing that their posted mp3 files are from promo companies, directly from the music artist, or from the record labels. The response to this is that if there's multiple complaints filed about a music blog, then measures can be taken. This is especially relevant if there's no indication of the music files being used in a lawful, authorized manner.