One of the most famous music streaming services on the YouTube platform suddenly ceased to exist on Sunday. On the Lofi Girl channel, the two live videos affected by this forced shutdown had until then broadcast non-stop for nearly 21,000 hours each, before a fake record company managed to interrupt them.
The electro-inspired background music online radio offered a form of daily sound accompaniment to millions of followers. The account owner was quick to slap an unwarranted punishment from YouTube.
The reactions of shocked listeners were not long in coming. A flood of messages in support of Lofi Girl poured out on social networks. Many disappointed listeners took to Twitter to decry the dubious takedown of the videos, a sign of their enthusiasm. They alone had accumulated almost 800 million views.
On Twitter, the YouTube platform finally apologized in a tweet in response to a Lofi Girl post denouncing the situation. “We confirm that the withdrawal requests were abusive and that the plaintiff’s account has been suspended”, can we read in this mea culpa.
confirmed the takedown requests were abusive & terminated the claimants account? we’ve resolved the strikes + reinstated your vids – it can sometimes take 24-48 hours for everything to be back to normal! so sorry this happened & thx for your patience as we sorted it out ❤️?
—TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) July 11, 2022
Too little too late for many fans of these broadcasts. Several users did not let go despite these apologies. They thus continued to berate YouTube, angry that a bogus production house could so destabilize a channel as large as Lofi Girl.
“Why not fix your system to force people to verify their identity because anyone can file a complaint”, one of them shouts.
The situation thus puts YouTube back in the hot seat, long criticized for the management of its own algorithm and the clumsy application of its policies to rights holders.
Even if the dysfunction of copyright complaints remained at the heart of the discussions, some did not stop to denounce this defect of the video hosting website. Some took advantage of the attention on Google’s platform to point out the double standard of its reaction, considering that Lofi Girl had received preferential treatment with a relatively quick return online.
“Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t do the same for 99% of other people with the same problem,” wrote smaller content creator.
The Lofi phenomenon
If the anecdote created an uproar on the networks, it is because the radio of the French account Lofi Girl has acquired great fame since its creation. His non-stop streaming videos feature lo-fi hip hop melodies and beats, the style of which is intimately tied to the 10 million subscriber YouTube channel.
Its quiet, wordless sounds can be heard by tens of thousands of listeners simultaneously, no matter the time of day. The iconic visual of the girl with headphones accompanied by her cat is thus part of the daily life of a large and loyal public.
That’s why many regulars were scared to see their habits turned upside down when YouTube temporarily banned this content.
“She has finished filling out her notebook”, simply quipped a surfer, in reference to the visual used by the channel.
Fans were still quick to rejoice, since Lofi Girl relaunched a new broadcast, even if the original recordings were still inaccessible at the time of writing these lines.