There's talk of a new YouTube Streaming Music service, similar to what many of us enjoy with Spotify & Deezer for delivering our class music. Imagine a service where you could create a playlist of music videos, add them to your portable device and then make them available for off line use 🙂
The alleged on-demand music service would be geared towards mobile use, and offer a free tier that lets you select songs from a large catalog of tracks, in addition to music videos supported by advertisements. A paid version of the service, which will cost $10 per month, will reportedly remove ads and offer the ability to save music offline on your device.
Word is that YouTube's service will be launched in the first quarter of 2014 – possibly as part of the Google All Access Music service.
I can't wait to see this because I've discovered something…
We've refrained in the past from advocating the use of YouTube music videos here at ICI/PRO in the past. My understanding was that the terms and conditions used by YouTube expressly prohibit playing their videos in a commercial setting.
Now I'm not an attorney, but it appears that this is another misconception from those “They Say” people. I just spent an hour researching this and can't find anywhere where YouTube prohibits the commercial use of their videos.
What is (has always been) prohibited is the playing of copyrighted music (audio only or music video) in a commercial setting = your club or studio, unless you're paying the appropriate fees to the music licensing authority where you're located.
Actually projecting the videos off your iPhone using this new service will of course create some new technical hurdles for many of us Instructors and studio owners. When YouTube's new service gets more real, I have an audio & video technology expert standing by to help us integrate this new video option into our classes.
Tom at the ICI/PRO conference - Cycling Fusion photo
Tom Scotto has been a welcomed (but infrequent) contributor here at indoorcycleinstructor.com for the past two years. He impressed all of us at the ICI/PRO conference last fall. I think it was Amy who said “beyond his incredible knowledge as a USA Cycling Coach and his charming personality, Tom just looks good on a bike” 🙂
Tom will now be contributing articles and engaging with our community on a regular basis. During my recruitment call with Tom, he admitted he had multiple Audio PROfiles bouncing around in his head. Tom and I are committed to recording them for our ICI/PRO members to enjoy, starting this weekend!
But it doesn't end there;
Tom also has a stable of USA Cycling Coaches that work for him at Stage 5 Cycling. They all are accomplished Indoor Cycling Instructors / presenters as well. Tom has promised to bring these talented people to ICI/PRO, offering us more diversity than ever before! Take a minute and visit http://www.stage5cycling.com/ and you will begin to understand why I'm so excited I can hardly type this…
Oh, I almost forgot this part:
MORE VIDEO TRAINING RESOURCES ARE COMING!
Audio works great for Podcast Interviews and communicating information via our Audio PROfiles, but not so great for helping you learn Presentation Skills, displaying and demonstrating proper form/techniques and some people just learn better when they can watch what's being described.
There are multiple reasons we haven't had more Video PROfiles and training Videos:
Video is more difficult and time consuming to produce.
You need a studio that works (lighting and sound)
We all know how hard it is to teach an energetic class with only a few participants. Finding willing participants, at the right studio, at the right time is maddening to coordinated.
Then there's a huge licensing liability of publishing a video without the rights to use the music – and I don't see videos without music as being very appealing … or useful.
I interviewed Tom Scotto at the Cycling Fusion Keystone Summit - Cycling Fusion photo
Enter Cycling Fusion to the rescue! They operate the Global Ride Studio where they are regularly produce Indoor Cycling Class videos, with a room full of students, using fantastic music that they have license to legally use. Just ask Amy or Leslie Mueller, they both loved the music used for the class videos they did there. I personally can't wait to watch them 🙂Cycling Fusion will be producing special Video PROfiles, on a monthly schedule, for our ICI/PRO members.
