Major record labels such as Universal, Sony/BMG, and RCA, were stripped by YouTube of over two billion views in the past month. Universal was hit the hardest, losing one billion views in the raid, and artists such as Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, Beyonce, and Avril Lavigne were all stripped of over 100 million phony views, violating YouTube's terms of service regarding view manipulation. In addition, videos from over 500 prominent channels were also stripped of views.
However, it seems as though artists associated with VEVO, which is owned by co-owned Sony, Universal, and Abu Dhabi Media, lost no views in the crackdown. According to YouTube statistical aggregator Socialblade, VEVO affiliated artists like Eminem, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber, were all not guilty of having fake views. Interesting.
Now we'll just have to see if Twitter starts cracking down on fake followers.
[via Pigeons & Planes]
