RayWJ, the most subscribed to person on Youtube, is reportedly making more than $1 million a year from his video channel.

The Wall Street Journal reports that RayWJ, or Ray William Johnson, brings in close to 10 million people to his channel every week. More than 5 million people subscribe to RayWJ’s channel and his videos have been viewed a total of 1,572,663,024 times.

David Cohen, the global digital officer of Universal McCann, said:

“Look at some of these major YouTube stars, [who] aggregate two, three, four million views of their content. That rivals second- and third-tier cable networks. This is a microcosm of what’s going on in the overall media landscape. We’re moving from a scaled mass media to more hyper-local, niche media.”

The WSJ estimates that RayWJ is making more than $1 million per year from his Youtube videos. RayWJ makes part of his money through Youtube’s Partner Program, which gives popular users a slice of advertising money, and the rest through merchandise sales.

Johnson denies that he’s making millions, however, saying that his Youtube channel is just a hobby.

 ”Maybe someday, if I work hard enough, entertainment will be a career for me, but right now making videos and uploading them to the Internet is just a hobby…. I run advertisements and sell T-shirts to cover overhead costs and pay the few people who help me out behind the scenes… Anything left over is spent on production costs, animation costs, etc.”

Several Youtube stars have signed non-disclosure agreements so getting an exact salary is difficult. But people familiar with Google’s business practices say that Youtube Partners make $3,000 to $9,000 for every two million views. RayWJ’s videos have been seen more than 1.5 billion times.

So what exactly makes RayWJ so popular? Johnson basically takes popular Youtube videos and then adds his own raunchy commentary. Here’s his most popular video. (NSFW Language)

Do you think RayWJ makes more than $1 million from Youtube every year?

RayWJ Makes $1 Million a Year From Youtube Videos is a post from: The Inquisitr

Explaining YouTube is a post from: The Inquisitr

Youtube, the World’s largest online video site, has reached yet another milestone. Ever since its release in 2005, the website has exploded in popularity and quickly became the one place where people tend to log on, every single day.

Google announced new stats today for the online video service and, well, they’re pretty impressive. Video views now top four Billion every single day Worldwide. Back in May of 2010, video views were at two Billion every single day.

If you figure out the math, they’ve gained about a Billion video views per day, every single year since then. Not only are people watching a lot of video, but a lot of people are uploading videos as well.

They now get over 60 minutes of uploads every single second. That comes out to 5,184,000 minutes or 86,400 hours of content uploaded every single day. To watch just all the videos that were uploaded on one day, it would take you 3,600 days or nearly 10 years, not counting any breaks.

Via PCMag:

“YouTube’s push now is to enable its Channels, dedicated bundles of videos all designed by YouTube’s content partners, a focus of YouTube’s December redesign. Although YouTube seems interested in signing up premium talent, the site has had the most luck taking smaller content creators and giving them the worldwide audience even networks can’t deliver. Many of the top channels within YouTube rank, in terms of viewership, with the top cable channels, Kyncl said at CES. According to one report, however, social giant Facebook has expressed an interest in luring one of Google’s top channels, Vevo, over to Facebook.”

How many Youtube videos would you estimate you watch every single day?

Youtube Hits 4 Billion Video Views Every Single Day is a post from: The Inquisitr

Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has announced that she is officially stepping down from her Arizona congressional seat that one year earlier nearly cost her life.

Giffords announced her departure from her Arizona seat in a touching YouTube video in which she states:

“Arizona is my home. Always will be. A lot has happened over this past year,” while adding, ”I don’t remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. Thank you for your prayers, and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do.”

Gabrielle Giffords goes on to note:

“So to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week.” While adding, “I will return. And we will work together for Arizona and this great country.”

Here’s the entire Gabrielle Giffords YouTube video:

Giffords has spent the last year recovering from a bullet wound to the head which required the congresswoman to undergo various surgeries and painful and slow rehabilitation. It was just several months ago that she returned home with Astronaut husband Mark Kelly and began her rehabilitation in an outpatient capacity.

In supportive statements on her YouTube page fans of the congresswoman wrote:

“Thank you, Gabby Giffords – you are an inspiration, whether Congresswoman or not.”

and

“Not having you in Congress is America’s loss – hope you get really better soon ”

When she will return to politics is anyone’s guess but given her amazing recovery in a rather short period of time I wouldn’t be surprised if it was sooner rather then later.

Gabrielle Giffords Steps Down From Congress In Touching YouTube Video is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook is on a roll and is looking to further build out it’s network. According to some sources, the social network is in talks with Vevo, a music video service prominently known on Youtube, to have them move over to their site.

Currently, the service has a contract with Youtube that has another year before it ends so nothing would be happening here very soon, but eventually if talks go over well. With nearly 1 Billion users, many of which who share and consume music while on the site, this integration with Vevo could be a great value add for users and in getting them to spend more time on the social network.

Via CNET:

“If Vevo were to jump, Facebook could boost its music offering, which it has done only in incremental ways in recent months. In September, Facebook Music was launched, a service that enables users to share information about their listening habits and tastes in real time.”

The music video service is very popular and just behind Youtube when it comes to unique visitors at almost 43 Million back in November.

“Here’s the most compelling thing a Vevo deal could offer Facebook: CEO Mark Zuckerberg could offer free-music listening in the form of music videos–just like YouTube does now–to the company’s users. That would certainly help Facebook keep users on the site longer, something the company is determined to do.”

People will always love music and this would give users easier access to the music that they love.

Do you share or listen to a lot of music on Facebook?

Facebook Wants Music Video Service Vevo Away From Youtube is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you thought a downed Wikipedia was scary, imagine a world with no kitty videos. NONE.

[Source Unknown]

Explaining SOPA is a post from: The Inquisitr

Casey Anthony may be hiding out in the very last place we would expect to find her, a church. The Daily Beast recently learned through several sources that the world’s least liked mom is likely staying at a church complex in Palm City, right along Florida’s Treasure Coast.

According to the anonymous source she has been staying on the compound of the Cross Church, just two hours from Orlando.

When the publication attempted to reach out to pastor Steve Camp he made no comment about the girls location, it should be noted that he didn’t deny the speculation.

While she may have been at that location for a while, perhaps even filming and uploading her now infamous YouTube videos from the church it’s believed that her supports within the compound may have already moved her to another location. As Diamond writes, ” Other media outlets have been pursuing the rumor of late.”

In case you haven’t seen the creepy Casey Anthony YouTube videos here’s a sampling:

In the meantime Casey Anthony’s new lawyer Cheney Mason says she has been placed in a therapy center where taxpayers continue to foot the bill. The defense has argued that Florida taxpayers much continue to pay for Casey’s year-long protection program because of various death threats placed against her life.

Do you think Casey Anthony deserves any special protection?

Casey Anthony Has Been Hiding In A Church [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former (onscreen) lovers and best-friends-forever Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt put together a little ditty just in time for new years: a cover of Nancy Wilson’s “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” with both nerd-favorites plucking away and singing strong. Well, Zooey anyway. Levitt’s falsetto is a bit muted, but who doesn’t love this guy?

Though this cute clip may have you popping in your 500 Days of Summer DVDs tonight, only to carefully scrutinize the couple’s onscreen chemistry, this video doesn’t seem to be a couple’s debut, rather a lazy Thursday afternoon jam-sesh between two good buds. So sayeth Zooey:

“When we did ’500 Days of Summer’ [eight] years later, we spent every lunch hour dancing to Marvin Gaye in the hair and make up trailer; we had loads of fun. I hope to do a thousand more movies with him, because he’s simply the best.”

So despite Deschanel’s recent split, these two seem more like gal-pals than anything else. Let it go, kids.

Still, it’s a sweet clip in that whimsical way that we all expect from Zooey. Oh heck, here’s the video. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Zooey Deschanel And Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s New Year Duet (Video) is a post from: The Inquisitr

Perhaps driving home a point about starvation isn’t as effective when you destroy food in the process.

A Point. This Guy Has One. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Earlier this year at IFA Samsung announced that their Smart TVs  would soon receive support for YouTube videos in 3D and now that exclusive access (for the short term) has finally become a reality with the company rolling out YouTube 3D support.

Under YouTube’s current offerings Samsung Smart TV users will have access to more than 8000 videos shot in 3D and the company says they will be teaming up with YouTube to expand user options in the near future.

At this time it’s still unclear if Samsung plans to shoot various video clips in 3D or if they will convert old 2D YouTube clips into the 3D format in an attempt to grow out the 3D video brand.

At this time YouTube 3D videos can only be views in North America, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Samsung Smart TV users can gain support for the new YouTube 3D feature via a free update available through the company’s Smart TV app portal.

Would you like to watch YouTube videos in the 3D format from your TV?

Samsung Rolls Out YouTube 3D Support For Smart TV Line is a post from: The Inquisitr

One of the pre-eminent First World Problems- we are surrounded by so much awesomeness, it is almost no longer awesome.

[Endless Origami]

The Effects of YouTube Exposure is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last week we reported that UMG filed a copyright claim and took down the MegaUpload song, despite having no ownership over the content whatsoever. Not only did they do it for the original video, they also aggressively went after any copies that popped up after the original was removed.

The video in question featured high profile artists such as Kanye West, Will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and more singing the praises of the legitimate uses of MegaUpload’s file-sharing service. Shortly after UMG’s aggressive (and persisent) move to block the distribution of the song, MegaUpload moved to take the matter to court, suing UMG and requesting an immediate restraining order.

It was curious, to say the least, that UMG was able to successfully take down content that it didn’t own. A leaked court filing regarding the matter was picked up by Ars Technica sheds some light on the matter, but what the court filing suggests is even more baffling.

According to the document, UMG, as per an agreement with Google, claims that it has the right to take down any video hosted on YouTube, regardless of who owns the content, and for any reason they want to come up with.

The court document reads:

“Your letter could be read to suggest that UMG’s rights to use the YouTube “Content Management System” with respect to certain user-posted videos are limited to instances in which UMG asserts a claim that a user-posted video contains material that infringes a UMG copyright. As you know, UMG’s rights in this regard are not limited to copyright infringement, as set forth more completely in the March 31, 2009 Video License Agreement for UGC Video Service Providers, including without limitation Paragraphs 1(b) and 1(g) thereof.”

Aside from Google and Universal, no one knows exactly what paragraphs 1(b) and 1(g) referenced in the letter actually say. Regardless, it does at least appear that UMG thinks it has the right down to take down any video it wants, regardless of ownership.

We’ll let you know if we hear more.

Source: Ars Technica

UMG claims it has the right to remove YouTube videos it doesn’t own is a post from: The Inquisitr

For teachers that want their class to benefit from the vast well of knowledge that is YouTube, but don’t want them to be distracted by the rest of YouTube, the company is launching an option that will address just that.

YouTube announced by way of their official blog today an education-only version of YouTube, and it’s available for use at schools right now.

YouTube EDU, as it’s called, is quite a bit different from regular ol’ YouTube. For starters, comments and related videos are done away with entirely; students will be able to watch their educational video(s) without being distracted by a singing dog and what have you.

Additionally, the main page is noticeably different as well. Videos are sorted by categories such as university, primary & secondary education, and so on. The YouTube team also set up over 300 subject-specific playlists for various grade levels so that teachers won’t have to go digging about for too long to find what they’re looking for.

Check out the promo video below for more information. To find out how to sign up to YouTube EDU, head over to this link.

via Engadget

YouTube Launches Education-Only Site is a post from: The Inquisitr

So, uh, has anyone noticed YouTube’s new favicon? It’s… uh… I’ll be in my bunk.

Dear YouTube is a post from: The Inquisitr

A YouTube graph that not only details the number of videos that are fake ‘or’ gay, but also the ones that are fake ‘and’ gay. Statistics are important.

YouTube Comments, Assessed [Graph] is a post from: The Inquisitr

You know you were thinking it, you just weren’t consciously ‘thinking’ it.

Sage YouTube Comments is a post from: The Inquisitr

99.9% of YouTube comments make you lose faith in humanity, but then there’s a gem like this.

Sometimes YouTube Commenters Are Funny is a post from: The Inquisitr

Texas judge William Adams is under hot water and part of a police investigation after his daughter posted a video of a severe beating he gave her in 2004.

In the seven minute clip HIllary Adams is spanked hard and repeatedly with her fathers belt.

Speaking about her decision to finally release the video she told KRIS TV:

 ”My father’s harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting on for seven years,”

In response to her statement her father who is an Aransas County Court Judge said:

“It happened years ago. … I apologized.” while adding, “It’s not as bad as it looks on tape.”

Her father was beating her for allegedly downloading music off the internet and in the text accompanying the video she wrote:

 ”She has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father’s backwards views.”

The video has received more than 600,000 views on various YouTube channels after it was posted on Reddit, a social bookmarking community with a long history for provided a “protective” aspect against social wrongs.

Here’s the video, just be warned it’s rather brutal:

Do you think her father should be punished for what he did to his daughter?

[image via Shutterstock]

Judge Under Investigation After Daughter Posted Beating On YouTube [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Viacom on Tuesday petitioned a New York City Second Court of Appeals to overturn a dismissal in their YouTube lawsuit. The company argued that YouTube’s visitor upload policy doesn’t fall under “safe harbor” rules and that they should therefore be held liable for illegally copied videos.

In a moment of fear mongering Attorney Paul Smith said the entire video industry would see dangerous consequences because of the “vast exploitation” of content online.

According to smith:

“It would immunize from copyright infringement liability even avowedly piratical Internet businesses.”

Various historical case studies in the meantime have show just how little effect sites like YouTube have on copyright infringement in terms of harming a media company’s overall product since they do not allow for full copyrighted videos to appear on the website and they quickly remove all infringing content.

In the meantime while Viacom claims that YouTube knew in their early days that some videos were being copyrighted the sites current owner Google, Inc. says they work adamantly to remove videos that are in violation of current copyright laws, pulling illegal clips within 24 hours.

It should be noted that Viacom is one of the few TV networks that refuse iPad video streaming even when those videos are restricted to a persons internet connection within their own home where cable TV services are subscribed to.

Do you think Viacom has a case against YouTube or will this case soon be pushed to the side? I personally see this case as a losing battle for Viacom officials.

Viacom Attempts Reversal Of YouTube Court Decision is a post from: The Inquisitr

Even if you aren’t the world’s biggest fan of Google, which I’m not, you have to admit that they are always doing some pretty interesting stuff, especially when it comes to utilizing their existing service for interesting projects with other companies or government agencies.

The newest one was announced today and joins their YouTube video service with some pretty interesting agencies from around the world in a project called YouTube Space. Partnering with YouTube are: Lenovo, NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Areospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and in cooperation with Space Adventures.

The idea is for interested students to come up with ideas for space-based experiments and upload a video explaining the experiment to YouTube by December 7, 2011. The videos will be judged by a panel of extinguished scientists, astronauts, expert judges, and the YouTube community. Selected experiments will be performed aboard the ISS and live streamed on YouTube starting in 2012.

They have also announced some pretty good prizes for the competition as well, including Lenovo IdeaPad laptops, ZERO-G flights, and a rip to Japan to watch your experiment blast off into space or head to Russia, if you are over 18, to get some real astronaut training experience at Star City.

You can check out the competition page here or the official rules here.

via Google’s Official Blog

Google’s YouTube launches the YouTube Space Lab [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr