Hey everyone 👋
I wanted to share something a bit more personal, most of you will have seen my video about it, something that happened behind the scenes with a video I made a week and a bit ago.
A lot of you asked to hear more of the music from my old band Hayze, so last week I sat down, listened back, and recorded a reaction to my own old material. Honestly, it felt really good revisiting it, a strange mix of nostalgia, pride, and “oh wow, we actually sounded pretty decent!” I was happy to share that with all of you.
But then… things went tits up!
Shortly after uploading the video, it was copyright claimed by The Orchard, a distributor none of us in the band recall ever signing with. I disputed the claim (twice!), explaining that the music was mine, that I actually performed on it, and that the band itself had no issue with me using it.
Both the dispute and the appeal were rejected.
And suddenly I was staring down a double copyright strike…
…for my own music.
The absurdity would be funny if it wasn’t so stressful.
It’s a really odd feeling, not just because of the claim itself, but because it makes you realise how messy and disconnected the world of music distribution has become. Somewhere, somehow, something must have been registered incorrectly, and now an automated system is blocking members of the original band from even listening to our own work without punishment.
I’m not angry at YouTube as such, but more frustrated at how impersonal and rigid the process can be. There’s no way to speak to a human, no way to explain the history, and no way to say, “Look, I am this band.”
The video is currently offline until I can get clarity on the situation, which is galling because many of you were looking forward to hearing that part of my musical past.
But I want to say this:
Thank you for always being so supportive, especially with things like this.
Your comments, messages, and enthusiasm genuinely keep me going when the platform itself feels like an uphill battle.
I’m working on a plan to re-share the story behind the band without triggering another claim… and I’ll keep you all updated. There will be a way to share this chapter with you safely, even if I have to get creative about how!!
Thanks again for being here.
More reactions, more music, more journeys coming soon. ❤️
Jim 🎧