A recent YouTube that has become extremely popular is called “United Breaks Guitars”. It is a music video done by a musician whose belongings were damaged by United Airlines. He received no compensation for his broken instrument which cost him twelve hundred dollars to fix. The reason behind the damage was the baggage handlers for United Airlines throwing the fragile luggage. The song writer witnessed this from his seat on the airplane and was not impressed when his suspicions about his own guitar were proved correct at baggage claim.
After going trying in anyway possible to receive compensation for his loss he finally decided to get their attention in his own way. The song has received over seven million views but still he received no reaction or compensation. So he made another movie based more on the employee service he received and the poor handling of his guitar. This video also received a large number of views prompting United to address the man and offer some compensation. The videos however had gained so much popularity and success for him that he refused the money offered by United and is currently working on a third video.
YouTube allowed him to express his anger towards United and get his message out there to others who can relate to his story. It gained massive support and ultimately helped him get United’s attention and achieve his goal. He was one man up against a large company and won thanks to the massive support form across the country and around the world. It also boosted his career. As a musicians it can be difficult to make yourself known. He has made a name for himself and boosted his career to a point where he would rather make more videos than collect on compensation. So maybe United breaking his guitar was a blessing in disguise.
