MIDEM 2009: Google regrets

PaidContent's Robert Andrews reports back on the MIDEMNET session with Google's content partnerships VP David Eun. His poorly-disguised frustration with a music industry that thinks that the internet owes it probably means he should be kept away from Feargal Sharkey:

"Lots of people 'get it'. On the other hand, there's a culture (amongst music execs) where 'these are my interests, meet them, if you can meet them then maybe you can have access to our content'. There's really not a concern for the other person's business (ie. Google's) - (they say) 'if you can't figure out how to make it work, that's your problem'. If that becomes systemic, you decrease the number of partners you can have."

He also spoke a little about Warner's current exclusion from YouTube - and sounded like a man who, while not uncaring about one label's absence from his service, isn't all that desperate about it, either:

"I think it's unfortunate. The only way a partnership works is if it works for both parties ... You can't force someone to be a good partner - you can force them to follow contractual obligations, but you can't force them to be a good partner. The way you become good partners is to give them incentives to go beyond what the obligations are. We don't have that type of relationship with everyone or with Warner Music right now ... but we hope we can find a way of working so that both parties are happy working together."

Sure, it'd be nice to have those guys on board again, but perhaps they don't want to play, said YouTube from the top of its goldmine.