The popular Internet video sharing service YouTube was in the news last week, as a Los Angeles journalist filed suit against them for copyright infringement after a YouTube user posted video shot by the reporter on his YouTube page. The whole purpose of YouTube is to allow users to easily post video content for widespread distribution, something that many bluegrass artists and businesses have used to great advantage.

I mention the copyright infringement issue as it came to mind when I found these wonderful clips of the original Fincastle bluegrass music festival held in 1965, and widely regarded as having launched the festival phenomenon we now take for granted. The user who posted this content is not identified on the site, but has a good many classic clips of bluegrass video and audio, most of it focused on the music of Don Reno.

It may be that this YouTube user, identified only as “renopicker,” may have the rights to distribute all of these clips, but it may be that the sort of infringement suit that was initiated in LA could spill over to this type of thing as well. YouTube expresses confidence that they are immune from the legal ramifications, but they become more strict with what it allows to be posted if any suits are successful, or settled to YouTube’s disadvantage.

In any event, bluegrass lovers may enjoy having a look at these many video bits, many of them 8-10 minutes in length.