Brian May Responds To Instagram Ban - Noise11.com
Brian May Queen Melbourne 2014, photo Ros O'Gorman

Brian May, Queen. Photo By Ros O'Gorman

Brian May Responds To Instagram Ban

by Roger Wink, VVN Music on November 14, 2017

in News

Around the music industry, Brian May is known as a pretty nice guy.

That’s why it was obviously a BIG problem for May when his Instagram account was disabled for an inadvertent copyright violation.

Instagram, being a mainly visual medium, has policies in place to stop the uncredited/uncompinsated use of professional photographs. May says that he is always careful to make sure that the photos he uses are properly credited but one got through and the photographer took exception but, instead of pointing out the error to May, went directly to Instagram.

That resulted in May’s entire Instagram account being shut down and he could only get it back after correcting the situation.

May told the whole story in a post after reactivating the account:

Well this is what I woke up to. How RUDE ! I’m usually very careful to credit anyone whose photos I post – but in this case, at the end of the day, I must have forgotten. So, rather than write to me and say “dear Brian- you seem to have forgotten to credit me on this picture”, this person – Barbara Kremer is her name – reported me to Instagram and they not only took the picture down but disabled my whole account until I’d dealt with the issue – which took about 45 minutes of my time that I could not afford because the link refused to work on my phone. After, I successfully restarted my Instagram I was able to purchase active Instagram followers and get more following in matter of days.  What an incredibly unfriendly act from you, Barbara ! You not only took my picture and are evidently exploiting my image, and making money off me without so much as a ‘by your leave’ – but you actually stop me using a picture of myself ! What a crazy world we live in these days. All I can say is that if you feel you were ‘violated’, I feel pretty violated myself. To the point where If I ever discover that you are at one of our concerts in future, look out, because, logically, I will be tempted to have you thrown out. Well, Good Morning !!! Bri

Readers were generally in agreement with May’s views, although a few called him out on using the photographers name in his statement. “Yes, poor judgement from her side. But I think you should know better than to hang and shame a regular woman, way below you in society, possibly exposing her for harassment or even death threats.”

 

Well this is what I woke up to. How RUDE ! I’m usually very careful to credit anyone whose photos I post – but in this case, at the end of the day, I must have forgotten. So, rather than write to me and say “dear Brian- you seem to have forgotten to credit me on this picture”, this person – Barbara Kremer is her name – reported me to Instagram and they not only took the picture down but disabled my whole account until I’d dealt with the issue – which took about 45 minutes of my time that I could not afford because the link refused to work on my phone. What an incredibly unfriendly act from you, Barbara ! You not only took my picture and are evidently exploiting my image, and making money off me without so much as a ‘by your leave’ – but you actually stop me using a picture of myself ! What a crazy world we live in these days. All I can say is that if you feel you were ‘violated’, I feel pretty violated myself. To the point where If I ever discover that you are at one of our concerts in future, look out, because, logically, I will be tempted to have you thrown out. Well, Good Morning !!! Bri

A post shared by Brian Harold May (@brianmayforreal) on

vvnmusic.com

Related Posts

10cc in Melbourne 25 June 2023 photo by Winston Robinson
Kevin Godley Reunites With 10cc In London

10cc had a special reunion at their London show this week when former member and co-founder Kevin Godley joined the band at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday night (25 March 2024).

1 day ago
Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel To Release ‘Back To Front – Live In London’ DVD

Australia missed out on the Peter Gabriel tour but we will get the DVD.

1 day ago
Bruce Springsteen Named First International Ivors Fellow

Bruce Springsteen is set become the first international songwriter to become a Fellow of The Ivors Academy.

3 days ago
No More Make Up For Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons has vowed "no more make-up" on stage.

3 days ago
Vincent Bonham of Raydio Dies At Age 67

Vincent Bonham, a founding member of Raydio with Ray Parker Jr in 1977, has died at the age of 67.

3 days ago
The Damned at Northcote Theatre, Melbourne 22 March 2024 photo by Mary Boukouvalis
The Damned + The Hard Ons, Northcote Theatre, Friday 22nd March 2024

The Damned released the first ever UK punk single, “New Rose” off album Damned, Damned, Damned, in 1976, and were often overshadowed by their English punk counterparts. Now in their late sixties and still touring world-wide, featuring the original line up of Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Rat Scabies and Paul Gray, they are the ones having the last laugh and have left their old rivals for dead, in certain respects, quite literally!

4 days ago
Marcia Hines, Photo By Ros O'Gorman
Marcia Hines Recovering After Collapsing Backstage During Show Recording

Marcia Hines was taken to hospital in Sydney on the weekend after collapsing in her dressing room before she was due to perform on Australian Idol.

4 days ago