Recently, we were asked what the top music labels are on YouTube in terms of cumulative views. The question is more complex than we initially assumed, since most labels (i.e. Universal Music Group) often post duplicate videos in separate YouTube channels, including the label’s parent channel (youtube.com/universalmusicgroup), a musician-specific channel (i.e. youtube.com/ladygaga) and sub-labels (i.e. youtube.com/islandrecords). After much work compiling a comprehensive list, we queried across all channels and came up with the following cumulative numbers:
* Almost all Warner Music Group videos were removed on 12/27 due to an ongoing contract dispute.
Also, it’s worth noting that a significant portion of overall music video views come from pirated versions, mashups and other unofficial clips. For instance, 60.53% of all views of Avril Lavigne videos come from unofficial versions.
