Pandora closes its doors to UK users

Online music provider Pandora is getting ready to block UK users from it's service due to "unworkable" license rates.

'Listen to music with Pandora' was one of my first blog posts back in 2006, and I'm sorry to hear Pandora has to pull the plug.

Tim Westergren, the Pandora founder, emailed UK Pandora listeners to convery that royalty collection agencies PPL and MCPS/PRS alliance have demanded absurd rates that Pandora simply cannot meet.

Tim said;

"We have been told to sign these totally unworkable license rates or switch off, non-negotiable...so that is what we are doing."

"We're going to keep fighting for a fair and workable rate structure that will allow us to bring Pandora back to you."

Online radio services such as Pandora and Last.fm have been struggling to survive after the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) decided to raise royalty fees for web broadcasters.

Pandora was hoping to keep the UK service alive after it closed all of it's non-US operations after the fee increase, but to no avail. Keep fighting the US Pandora, and hope to have you back soon.

Most Watched YouTube Video Clips/Videos 2007

Happy New Year!

YouTube had a storming year in 2007, so congratulations to all the team on their success.

After doing a couple of searches over New Year I noticed YouTube had published a list of the most watched videos on their blog. The top ten makes interesting viewing, and had a couple of my favourite videos from 2007 on the list. The top ten was based on number of views and shares.

**All the videos can be seen in the embeded YouTube compilation below**

Here's a run down of the top ten most watched YouTube video clips from 2007;

1. Battle at Kruger - a simply amazing piece of filming which captures a fight between a herd of water buffalo, a pack of lions and a crocodile. More details below.
2. "Chocolate Rain" Original Song by Tay Zonday - Tay Zonday sings Chocolate rain. Self explanatory really!
3. Chris Crocker; Leave Britney Alone! - Devout Britney fan Chris Crocker provides a passionate (and slightly scary) defence of Miss. Spears.
4. Thriller in Prison (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o) - a large group of inmates dance to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. One of my 2007 favourite videos.
5. Esmee Denters sings "What goes around, comes around" by JT - again self explanatory, but awesome singing.
6. NORA: Practice Makes Purr-fect - a piano-playing cat grabs over 7.5 million views
7. Obama Girl - "I got a crush...on Obama" - an avid fan promotes Barack Obama through the medium of song.
8. Otters holding hands - the third animal based video to feature in the top ten.
9. Paris in Jail - a spin on Paris Hilton's single 'Stars are Blind'. Very amusing!
10. Spiders on Drugs - starts out serious, then gets very silly. Amusing all the same.

YouTube have also released the top 5 viral videos of 2007, and top spot goes Cadbury's Gorilla advert, which I blogged about back in September 2007.

The top 5 viral videos can be found at Marketingcharts.com.