Learn how to – Record Labels vs. YouTube Rippers: What’s the Story?.

Music piracy has been a hot topic for decades now. While record labels used to worry about people recording songs from their favorite radio stations, people using and recording from YouTube have really changed the game. Copyright is something musicians fight for.  So why is YouTube ripping giving label reps massive headaches?

The Music Industry vs. Rippers

YouTube rippers are tools and sites where you can convert YouTube videos to MP3, video formats, and more.  Until YouTube launched its music service, this was one of the few ways you could get access to music easily from the streamer.  Websites such as y2mate.com, keepvid.pro, and flvto.biz have allowed people to search for videos and to convert audio into downloadable formats.

This makes things much easier for the listener.  Instead of having to search for their favorite songs online, they can download them and play them again and again offline instead.  It’s not hard to see why people use these services.  However, the music industry is not too happy about their popularity.

In fact, the RIAA, responsible for representing much of the US music industry, has been clamping down on these sites for years.  Despite this, rippers are becoming more advanced.  You don’t have just to visit a website to rip YouTube audio!  You can use browser plugins, apps, and programs.  It’s often free to rip audio, too.

But what is the history behind this battle, and where are things headed?  Let’s take a closer look.

The RIAA’s Major Victories

YouTube-MP3 was probably one of the best-known rippers online.  However, its shutdown in 2017 showed that the RIAA was getting serious about clamping down on digital piracy.  The site shut down in September 2017, after many record labels made complaints about their service.

That led to the site agreeing to shut down and to hand their domain over to the RIAA.  This was one of the first significant casualties of the RIAA-ripper war.  Unfortunately for fans of audio ripping, it would only be the first of many.  The exact nature of the deal between the RIAA and YouTube-MP3 isn’t that clear, though it’s obvious the copyright police saw that justice prevailed. 

YouTube-MP3’s shutdown led to several more choosing to close.  Video-download.co and Easyload.co chose to close their doors due to concerns over prosecution.  Pickvideo.net, another YouTube ripper which welcomed millions of visitors per month, was quick to shut down after being asked to cease and desist.  That happens when a copyright claim is filed.

However, digital music, video, and other data are becoming harder to police.  YouTube itself has always had a problem of sorts when it comes to copyrighted material.  However, it seems that those acting in favor of labels and artists appear to have the upper hand.  That is, of course, unless you take into account sites which are based outside of US policing.

Flvto.biz and 2conv.com

Both 2conv.com and Flvto.biz managed to stay online despite pressure from US copyright claimants.  That is thanks to the fact that they are operating overseas!  Both sites are based in Russia and have therefore been allowed to continue operating despite copyright holders getting worried.

Record labels had been firing lawsuits at the site’s owner, Tofig Kurbanov, for some time.  However, Kurbanov wasn’t ever willing to go down without a fight.  He took to demand that the case be dismissed entirely.  Thankfully for Kurbanov and other rippers, a court ruling found that being based abroad leaves certain sites immune from US prosecution.  That’s good news for music rippers everywhere!

However, the battle doesn’t end there.  While a sea of audio downloaded software such as onlinevideoconverter.com and ssyoutube.com have helped people rip music over the years, the copyright police aren’t giving up.

Labels Still Want to Sue!

Record labels such as Warner Bros and Universal have argued that they should be able to sue Kurbanov and other copyright infringers.  They argue that being based in Russia shouldn’t make them immune to getting sued.  

The labels have recently claimed that they shouldn’t have to travel abroad to sue YouTube rippers.  If people are still able to save video and audio content without paying for it, there should be legal channels to use to pursue damages.  Whether MP3s, MP4s or otherwise, big labels believe they should still have the power to sue over music being ripped from the internet.

In fact, the copyright police are still claiming big names in the ripping world.  Even in the past year, sites such as YouTubNow got the ax.  In Australia, 2conv, Flvto, Convert2mp3, and Flv2mp3 have all been blocked.  Whether or not international jurisdiction gets in the way of attempts to sue, it seems blocks can still be raised.

But where does that leave your everyday listener?  What does the future hold for ripper fans?  Quite a lot, actually.

Where the Battle is Headed

Anyone worried about audio downloaders disappearing from the web should take a deep breath.  You only have to look at the number of big YouTube rippers still active right now.  Consider qdownloader.net, 4kdownload.com, and savefrom.net, for example.  They are all still up and running.  The fact is, when one or two sites get shut down or blocked, another two or three pop back up.

Blocking sites where visitors can save video simply isn’t going to do enough.  VPNs, which allow users to connect to international servers, will let downloaders bypass blocks.  What’s more, the Kurbanov defense has helped to protect ripping sites.  They can now set up abroad and feel reasonably safe from the threat of US lawyers.

YouTube itself has tried to make listening to music easier through its Premium model.  However, as this is chargeable, it’s likely millions of people will still want to rip and download for free.  Whether they use dvdvideosoft.com or freemake.com, it’s likely they’ll still be able to rip audio and video from YouTube for a while yet.

Labels are thirsty to get these sites shut down for good.  But will they succeed?