Controversy about YouTube in the music industry surged this summer. There were outcries that the company pays less out to artists and rightsholders than streaming services. There was a highly publicized petition -- signed by the three major labels, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney and U2, among others -- calling for Congress to reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Though the negative publicity died down, the problem for many remains unresolved. Yet YouTube clearly solved a problem for a wide range of artists of all types: sharing their music and videos without gatekeepers and monetizing ads they would never be able to sell directly.
Here's an overview of what led to YouTube's growth and historic moments and controversies along the way.
