YouTube plays up to musicians via Cohen

YouTube is putting an artist-friendly face on its global music operations.

The Google-owned company snagged Lyor Cohen, one of the most aggressive music label guys, to break the deadlock on rights negotiations with the record companies.

Cohen, the former head of Def Jam and a onetime Warner Music Group boss, in 2006 became the first music industry executive to ink a licensing deal with the world’s No. 1 video streamer.

With the legendary music executive in its corner, YouTube, which has frequently knocked heads with artists and labels, may look forward to more amicable relationships.

“I hope that together we can move towards a more collaborative relationship between the music industry and the technologies that are shaping the future of the business,” the 56year-old Cohen said in a memo to staff on Wednesday, alluding to the tricky, ongoing talks with the labels.

“I’m confident that we can bridge the worlds of technology and music in ways that benefit everyone, instead of the zero-sum mentality that exists today,” added Cohen, who is of Israeli heritage but was born in New York.

Cohen has an existing relationship with the search giant. His record label, 300 Entertainment, is backed by Google. It launched the career of rapper Fetty Wap.

The move comes as artists such as Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney have lobbied the European Union to look into a perceived “value gap”: YouTube racking up huge increases in usage growth numbers while its artist compensation isn’t growing as robustly.

YouTube claims it helps new artists gain exposure and that it has paid $3 billion in fees to artists since it was created.