The legalities associated with using unlicensed music in a YouTube video are always dicey.
One, for instance, might be inclined to assume that support from the singer-songwriter responsible for the music would preclude any concerns about intellectual property infringement.
One would evidently be wrong.
Earlier this week, YouTube user Thomas Jung dubbed a tacky, dated 1980s aerobics with Taylor Swift’s #1 hit “Shake it Off.” The synchronization between the audio and video was astonishing, and the effort began to go viral Thursday night.
Shortly after midnight, Swift personally got in on the action.
“A sneak peak at the official ‘Shake It Off’ choreography for the 1989 World Tour,” jokingly Tweeted Swift, who included a link to a HuffingtonPost article about the video (with the video embedded).
With an official endorsement from Swift, the video continued to gain steam at an exponential rate, and it was a talking point on the major talk shows Friday morning.
By Friday afternoon, the video was no longer available. In its stead: “This video contains content from UMG, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.”
While label legal and compliance teams often operate without appreciation for context (or regard for the artist’s personal opinion on an issue), a vast disconnect between an artist and her label is always a sight to behold.
In the event that the video does return, it will be embedded below: