Dionne at 68

[BachtoBacharach]

Here is a YouTube clip of Dionne performing "What the World Needs Now" on a television program taped and broadcast in the UK this month and shows that at age 68 she can still put it out there, especially when she is rested and relaxed. She sounded great. What's even more amazing is that she's still touring extensively and maintaining a pace even younger folks would find exhausting, although at times the hectic tour schedule does show in her voice, she keeps on going. I don't know of too many other singers from her era who have and still maintain as extensive (and likely tiring) touring schedule as she does. She is talking of retiring in many press accounts these days but her schedule doesn't really reflect that.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Wow! You are so right my friend. It is a joy to hear purity in her higher register again. She's always been my favorite singer and it's so wonderful to hear her voice the way it was meant to be. Thanks for this post.

[outstretchedarm]

drats! video has been removed due to violation of copyright or whatever

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Do you think it was Dionne's people or Burt's people who contacted youtube to get them to remove the video?

I noticed that a lot of the videos at the beginning of the "put your youtube videos here" thread have also been removed from youtube.

And yet, dibotis's Dionne songs, thank god, are still there! So I wonder why this one particular song was removed?

[BachtoBacharach]

I guess we spoke too soon. Just logged on to YouTube to check out the latest on the Dibotis Dionne/Burt website and was unable to access any of the videos. Found this note posted on the comments:

Thanks for all your comments and support. Due to "issues" with the music rights, I had no alternative but to remove my original
videos from this channel.

The information posted about each tune was the most accurate I've found aside from Serene Dominic's book on Bacharach so let's hope at at the very least the info contained in the sidebar about the recordings will be available in some other sort of format. There were tons of rare pictures I had never even seen in the videos, too. There was enough there for a book. I am surprised, though, that the site was up as long as it was since so many of my favorite Burt tracks have been removed for copyright issues-it was bound to happen to Dibotis too. Too bad as there were some really rare tracks that I have been unable to find anywhere else.

[steveo_1965]

seem to remember reading on the web that very recently WB
was pulling a lot of their material from youtube..since they own
a lot of the copyrights of Bacharach music, perhaps it is this that
happened?

Steveo

[An Enormous BB Fan]

I am DEVASTATED to read that all of dibotis's Dionne songs have been removed from youtube. Please know that I have always been on the side of copyright laws and intellectual property rights as well. I have always believed that songwriters, artists, publishers and record companies deserve recompense for what they do. Therefore, I cannot, in good conscience, hurl epithets at the lawyers for Dionne, Burt, Hal, the publishers or the record companies for doing this. But I do have to ask the following question: Will any of the aforementioned parties make any more money with dibotis's songs removed from youtube than they would have if the songs remained? In other words, does the removal of these songs help anyone's bottom line?

I should have know that dibotis's channel was too good to last. Seems like good things have to be spoiled a lot of the time.

I wonder whose side Dionne is on in this removal?

[BachtoBacharach]

I have to believe that posting videos such as Dibotis did introduced a whole new, younger audience to Dionne/Burt/Hal. Let's hope Dibotis commentaries on each of the tunes there are protected by copyright because there was some real historical knowledge and insight and those commentaties stood alone without the companion tunes or pictures so hopefully they will appear in another format. By my count there were about 120 Burt/Hal/Dionne videos on his site alone so a lot of work went into making those videos and writing the commentaries. But, it was sure good while it lasted.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

You're so right about all the time and effort that dibotis put into his channel. I feel very badly for him. I'm sure he was proud of his channel and he had every right to be. I also loved all the pictures he had with each video. He had more than 40 years of music history right there and it really hurts me that it's gone. I, too, enjoyed the commentaries on each song. At work, I so looked forward to dibotis's channel. It made the time go by so much more effortlessly as I plugged my headphones into my computer and listened to all those great songs on his channel. This removal is pitiful.

[Toms1234]

If anyone is in the Detroit area , Dionne has two concerst scheduled at Caesars Windsor Casino, Windsor, Ontario
January 9 and 10 in the new showroom there. Just over the bridge from Detroit. Will be there on the 9th.

Also looking at her concert schedule she has a concert scheduled on May 18 in New York City, with side note( Burt Bacharach Tribute)
Any info on this?

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Dionne will be appearing in New York City, at B.B. King's (on 42nd Street between Broadway and 8th) at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, January 23rd.

http://www.bbkingblues.com/schedule/mor ... gi?id=3929

[blueonblue]

I've just read the bad news !
I can't add anything to what as already been said...just to say thank you Mr Dibotis, for all
the wonderful and "rare" songs you have shared with us..
........such a shame !

"blue"

[ron hertel]

talk about ..... "Biting The Hand That Feeds You" ..... if Warner Brothers (or whoever) is responsible for the removal of this material - they may be doing themselves a disservice. Burt & Dionne's recording sales are not what they once were (this goes for most artists - and - the industry as well!).... With all due respect for copyright and intellectual property rights - I can not help but think that exposure to the material provided by dibotis on "YouTube" would be an incentive for the purchase of DW & BB product (this includes both older consumers who have grown to truly appreciate their body of work .. as well as .. young people who are now being exposed to the timeless appeal of this great music!

[An Enormous BB Fan]

You are so right, ron, in what you say. I have thought the same thing -- that it was so great that all those unknown Dionne songs were uploaded to youtube thanks to the great dibotis. Because, like you, I felt that this would keep those songs alive to the younger people who now will have no way of hearing and learning about those great recordings. I was just now able to go to youtube (it wasn't accessible to me when I typed my earlier post) and 100% of dibotis's videos are now gone! I feel like someone died. It's very very depressing to me. If you read the comments section, as I did, you know that so many people were touched by and loved those songs. How can anyone purchase songs that they know nothing about? youtube was the platform that was going to keep this music alive. How pathetic it was to remove these songs. I have to ask myself why all the top songs of the country are presently on youtube and can be listened to for free, but Dionne's songs from 40 years ago have to be removed? Does this make sense? Isn't this topsy-turvy? Wouldn't it make more monetary sense to remove Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent", as one example, and leave the 40-year old songs on youtube? (By the way, I love Ne-Yo and think he's a fabulous songwriter/singer/performer. He's a legend in the making.) In case you can't tell, I am furious that dibotis's channel is gone now.

Well, you can go to myspace.com and click on "music" (in the search bar) and search for "Dionne Warwick". You can listen to some of her songs there. There's some Burt songs there as well. I know dibotis, after this debacle, wouldn't take the time to transfer his channel to myspace. But it sure would be great if he did. As I said before, I knew it was too good to be true.

[BachtoBacharach]

This explains why all those videos have been removed. Dionne, Burt and Hal shared the rights to all Dionne Warwick recordings produced by and for Burt and Hal's production company, Blue/Jac as a result of a $5 million settlement Dionne received in 1979 from a 1975 Breach of Contract lawsuit against Burt and Hal. Those rights were administered by Warner Special Products for the three holders beginning in 1979. In 1992, Dionne sold her rights to the Warner Group for an undisclosed sum. It is my understanding that Burt and Hal still retain their rights to the recordings which are now shared with Warner. The rest of the story can be found below.

Warner Music pulls videos from YouTube

Yinka Adegoke
AFP

Monday, December 22, 2008

NEW YORK - Warner Music Group ordered YouTube on Saturday to remove all music videos by its artists from the popular online video-sharing site after contract negotiations broke down.


The order could affect hundreds of thousands of videos clips, as it covers Warner Music's recorded artists as well as the rights for songs published by its Warner/Chappell unit, which includes many artists not signed to Warner Music record labels.


The talks fell apart early on Saturday because Warner wants a bigger share of the huge revenue potential of YouTube's massive visitor traffic. There were no reports on what Warner was seeking.


"We simply cannot accept terms that fail to appropriately and fairly compensate recording artists, songwriters, labels and publishers for the value they provide," Warner said in a statement.


YouTube is hugely popular, with more than 100 million viewers in the United States alone in October, according to comScore, a Web audience measurement firm.


Warner Music, home to artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers and rapper T.I., was the first major media company to negotiate a deal with YouTube in 2006. Its executives believe that deal gave the site legitimacy in the eyes of search giant Google Inc which bought it soon after for $1.65 billion.


As part of the original 2006 negotiation, Warner, Universal Music and Sony Music all took small stakes in YouTube pre-acquisition and profited when the Google acquisition closed.


The music companies typically get paid a share of any advertising revenue associated with the video and a per-play payment for every video viewed. The per-play fee is usually a fraction of a penny and with millions visiting YouTube everyday it was all expected to add up to a substantial amount.


But a source familiar with Warner Music's talks said the amounts it has been receiving from YouTube were "staggeringly low".


YouTube representatives did not immediately return calls for comment.


YouTube executives have spent most of 2008 stepping up efforts to develop revenue streams on the site partly in a bid to keep content partners happy. It has been in long negotiations with Warner on how best to split revenues until things came to a head in talks on Friday.


"Despite our constant efforts, it isn't always possible to maintain their innovative agreements," YouTube said in a statement on its blog about difficulties of music licensing. "Sometimes, if we can't reach acceptable business terms, we must part ways with successful partners."


YouTube also has agreements with Vivendi's (VIV.PA) Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music. Warner's move could see them also making tough demands for higher fees.


The demands could leave YouTube in a difficult position as it tries to balance the need to pay a reasonable fee to content partners, including TV and movie companies, and also generate enough return on the substantial investment needed to keep streaming millions of videos around the world.

© Canwest News Service 2008