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Did YouTube "Bully" their Stars Into Signing Up for Red?

Critics of the new subscription service say Google threatened to disable videos for those that wouldn't sign the deal.

On Wednesday, Google unveiled YouTube Red, a subscription-based streaming service that provides users ad-free access to all of their content. This may be a win-win situation for users—who, should they choose to opt out, can continue using the free version and simply suffer the same ads as they usually do—though some content creators are wondering if they got the short end of the stick.

In an interview with Gizmodo, a YouTube spokesperson said the company was able to get the overwhelming majority of its content partners ("nearly 99-percent of content watched on YouTube") to sign on to the new service. Gizmodo reports, however, that they also didn't give people a choice.

Content partners were given an ultimatum: they could accept the terms of the new revenue deal… or all of their videos would be set to private.

The YouTube rep says this measure was intended as a way of encouraging creators to use the service, so that when Amanda from Indiana pays ten bucks to log on, she doesn't then find her favorite dubstep violin covers missing from the catalogue. But others call it "bullying." TechCrunch called it "an offer they literally couldn't refuse."

That being said, the deal that YouTube is offering its partners (a majority of the cash generated by Red subscriptions) seems generous enough at first glance. It's only been three days since the announcement, however, and there will be plenty more analysis emerging over who stands to benefit most, and who might be left out. Free one-month trials for the service will be available when it launches on October 28th.