The channel’s massive archive has been wiped from the site, with a message reading: “Majestic Casual has been terminated because we received multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted.”
Focusing on electronic music from the EDM end of house to hip-hop beatmakers, the channel launched in 2011 and in 2013 released a two-disc compilation featuring SBTRKT, Flume and Nosaj Thing. They also had a reputation for covering their videos with images of lightly attired babes, triggering an avalanche of eyerolls from certain quarters of the dance community.
As Mixmag points out, the takedown follows news that YouTube owner Google plans to provide up to $1 million (£650,000) in legal fees to defend the targets of copyright takedowns – though it’s not clear if Majestic Casual would qualify for this support if legal proceedings are brought.
Fred von Lohmann, Google’s copyright legal director, wrote in a blog post: “We are offering legal support to a handful of videos that we believe represent clear fair uses which have been subject to DMCA takedowns.
“We’re doing this because we recognise that creators can be intimidated by the DMCA’s (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) counter-notification process and the potential for litigation that comes with it.”
Majestic Casual apologised to its Facebook fans with Arnie’s immortal “I’ll be back”.
The takedown comes as other major streaming sites face tougher action from record labels and rights owners, with SoundCloud currently cracking down on online radio stations like NTS Radio and Rinse while pursuing a deal with the majors.
