A number of organizations are saying that YouTube, the popular video website, is headed for a large crash. These people claim that it will eventually become like Napster, and its popularity will gradually decrease. One of the many organizations that are making these claims is Forrester Research. However, I don't agree with them at all, and I'll explain why. First, the statistics I've found show that YouTube is a $650 million dollar company. This means that the founders will be rich for the rest of their lives if and when they choose to sell it. The only way YouTube can go the path of Napster is if it is sold to a large fortune 500 company.

One reason why analysts are saying that YouTube will crash is because of copyright violations. First off, many of the copyrighted films that I've seen on YouTube and Goolge Video require to pay for them before they can be watch. These prices can be as high as $1.99 or more. What this means is that companies are still making profits from the videos. The ideas that YouTube will crash and burn because of copyright violations is far fetched in my opinion. There are a number of differences between YouTub and Napster that these "analysts" have failed to take into consideration. When senior officials at YouTube were contacted about this issues, they were not immediately available for comments or responses.

First, Napster never gave rise to the ability for users to upload their own videos. It was essentially a first generations file sharing system that only allowed users to download MP3s. YouTube allows users to actively participate in the distribution of content, sense they can upload videos that are homemade. Organizations like Universal Music Group have made ridiculous claims saying that YouTube is an violator of copyrights. What a joke. The so called analysis by experts about the upcoming crash of YouTube is nothing more than a tactic used to weaken the evolution of the internet. More often than not, these analysts are connected to the same forces that are trying to take over the internet for their own control.

If the music and movie industry wants to make money from it, all they have to do is charge for a video or movie download. The technology will not go anywhere, even if the company should crash. The advent of online video is truly a revolution, and it is difficult to stop a revolution once it is off the ground. My best advice to Hollywood and the music industry is to get with the program or get left behind. The technology is here to stay, whether they make claims of infringement or not. One thing is certain. Trying to police YouTube will lead to the destruction of the website, but not the technology. People will simply move on to the next big thing. Current statistics show that nearly 100 million videos are watched daily on YouTube, and this is serious advertising money.