Google’s operational ability to process DMCA takedown notices is a business advantage. As far as I know it has no competition. Nobody does it as well, at anywhere near the same scale.

Google couples that with a licensing business that enables copyright owners to monetize unauthorized distribution. Again, it has no competition.

Licensing is the flip side of processing DMCA notices. They belong together. Together they create a unified content catalog that is greater than the sum of its parts.

No licensed music service can compete on catalog depth. Every licensed service is blown out of the water.

When this comes up in conversations with people in the music business, they don’t get that the music which is only on YouTube and not in any licensed service has value next to prime commercial product. They think it’s band practice in the garage, out of tune teens warbling in the bedroom, elementary school talent shows. Actually what it is is internet scale. It’s k-pop in the American market, Indian pop for emigres living in Mauritius, and an endless number of other genres that are only fringe if you’re not the target market.

Among licensed music services, only Google is operating at internet scale, with billions or trillions or items. Processing DMCA notices is the difference between it and the competition.