The band Weezer has been getting a lot of buzz for its latest video for the song Pork and Beans, which takes a bunch of viral video “YouTube stars” and has them reprising their roles in its own video. Others have done similar things, so perhaps it’s not that unique. However, a Techdirt reader named Mike noticed something quite odd about the Weezer video on YouTube. For a supposedly “viral” video — Weezer or Universal Music has disabled the ability to embed the video in other sites. Embedding these kinds of videos, of course, is exactly how they go viral. Specifically disabling that feature on a video that’s entirely based on viral videos seems backwards.
It’s difficult to believe that Weezer did this themselves — as the band has long been seen as embracing the internet and new technologies and distribution means. Hell, just doing this type of video shows how connected to the internet scene they are. So it makes you wonder if it was the band’s label, Universal Music, that has stopped the embedding. If they’re going to do this, why not follow Viacom’s footsteps and ask the video to be taken down completely.
Techdirt: Viral Weezer Video Not Allowed To Be Viral
It appears this is why my link to Weezer’s new “viral video” won’t work:
https://joipodgorny.wordpress.com/2008/05/24/weezers-pork-and-beans-video/
Tags: weezer, universal music, viral
Joi Podgorny 