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# Universal Music Takes Down Fun Mashup Of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ And A 1989 Aerobics Video
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/why-we-cant-have-nice-things-universal-music-takes-down-fun-mashup-of-taylor-swifts-shake-it-off-and/
- Published: 2014-11-10T13:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2014-11-10T13:00:00.000Z
- Description: [UPDATED] This article originally appeared on TechDirt.com Last year, when Daft Punk released it's super popular single "Get Lucky" the first time I actually heard it was when someone I. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/11/why-we-cant-have-nice-things-universal-music-takes-down
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Music Business, Music Marketing, Streaming, YouTube & Video, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:38

[![Universal-music-group](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201b8d08d5d0d970c-150wi "Universal-music-group")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201b8d08d5d0d970c-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

\[UPDATED\] *This article originally appeared on [TechDirt.com](https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141107/16031329082/why-we-cant-have-nice-things-universal-music-takes-down-fun-mashup-taylor-swifts-shake-it-off-1989-aerobics-video.shtml?ref=hypebot.com)*

Last year, when [Daft Punk](http://daftpunk.com/?ref=hypebot.com) released it's super popular single "Get Lucky" the first time I actually heard it was when someone I know linked to a fantastic video of the song put over a [danceline from Soul Train](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPyG5mMfaN8&feature=youtu.be&ref=hypebot.com). It's pretty amazing how well it works. You can see it here:

**That video has about 4.5 million views. Not bad.** 

As you may have heard, [Taylor Swift](http://www.taylorswift.com/?ref=hypebot.com) recently came out with a new album, "1989," and **she's [at war with Spotify](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/03/taylor-swift-spotify-artists-discography-streaming-services?ref=hypebot.com) over it and making some statements about streaming royalties** and such (which we've mostly been avoiding covering because this fight has gone on long enough already and it's silly and mostly misleading).

However, in the last day or so, s**omeone tried to do the equivalent of the *Soul Train/Get Lucky*video above with Swift's song "[Shake](http://www.shakelaw.com/?ref=hypebot.com) it Off." –** (\*that someone was Charlie Koncher). (\*He) matched the song to an aerobics competition video from (amusingly) 1989 — and it worked quite well. It got lots of attention with [the Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/06/shake-it-off-1989-aerobic-video%5Fn%5F6116400.html?ref=hypebot.com) and [Slate](http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/11/07/taylor%5Fswift%5Fs%5Fshake%5Fit%5Foff%5Fand%5F1989%5Faerobics%5Fchampionship%5Fvideo%5Fwere%5Fmade.html?ref=hypebot.com) and others writing about it. So, I went to check out [the video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPyG5mMfaN8&feature=youtu.be&ref=hypebot.com) and got this instead:

[![DVoLPJcl](http://a4.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01b7c7035234970b-500wi "DVoLPJcl")](http://a4.typepad.com/6a016766638dee970b01b7c7035234970b-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

Yup. Thanks, [Universal Music](http://universalmusic.com/?ref=hypebot.com) and copyright for taking down something that was getting this song more attention. Of course, [multiple](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-4oTOnrfYk&ref=hypebot.com) other [copies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8HPrR-ulk0&ref=hypebot.com) appear to have [shown up](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8HPrR-ulk0&ref=hypebot.com) in response (not all identical, but all using versions of the same footage). Those are all up as I post this, **but I imagine they're likely to disappear soon too.**

**It makes you wonder what's the point here?** Yes, legally, Universal/Taylor Swift may have the *legal right* to pull the video down (though, some could make a reasonable fair use argument), but it seems pretty futile. Here are people *having fun* with her music, doing something *of their own free will* to get it more attention (I hadn't heard the song at all before this), and **then it gets pulled down, because copyrigh**t.

In many ways, **this is the *antithesis* of how music worked for *ages***. Music was always about people sharing and building on the works of others. Someone would create a song, and others would take it, resing it, adapt it, change it, mix it up with other things. That's how culture works. But not so much in an era with strict [copyright laws](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright?ref=hypebot.com) and automated takedown systems. What a shame.

*\*Charlie Koncher has since re-uploaded the video originally posted to his Facebook page. You can view the original video below.*