Psst. You. Yeah, you, movie executive guy who removed the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers dancing clip from YouTube. You, sir, are completely missing the point. It boggles my mind that the same companies that take down a four-minute YouTube clip with thousands of hits will turn around and pay millions for a 30 second TV ad. Is anyone else seeing the disconnect?

Relax, movie executive guy. Nobody is going to watch “The Ten Commandments” in its entirety on a teeny-tiny three inch by two inch screen with grainy res. They are, however, going to watch a two-minute Yule Brenner/ Patrick Stewart mash-up sponsored by the Hot Bald Guys of America–and might even consider buying your ancient, ancient movie as a result. Don’t think of it as copyright infringement, think of it as free, targeted advertising to your main audience. Consider it a loss-leader. So put the X-files blooper reels back up. Put the CSI/Veggie Tales music video back up*. And for heaven’s sake, give us our Fred and Ginger. Honestly.

Second verse, same as the first: If you persecute your fans, you will have no fans. No fans, no customers. If your business plan revolves around having NO CUSTOMERS, you need to rethink your strategy. Trust me on this one, guys. YouTube is your friend.

*Oh, come on. That one’s pretty funny.