Since Saturday, numerous YouTube and YouTube Music videos featuring music from renowned artists like Adele, Green Day, Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Kanye West, and Burna Boy have become inaccessible to viewers in the United States.
Instead of being able to stream these tracks, users are greeted with a message stating, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country,” prompting widespread confusion among fans attempting to access popular songs such as Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” or Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.”
The issue stems from a licensing dispute between YouTube and SESAC, the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, a performing rights organization that licenses over 1.5 million songs from more than 35,000 affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers. SESAC represents high-profile artists across various genres, including Bob Dylan, Green Day, Burna Boy, George Clinton, Kings of Leon, and more. Although SESAC is smaller than other performing rights organizations like BMI and ASCAP, it has been operating since 1930 and was acquired by the private equity firm Blackstone in 2017.
YouTube responded to the disruption by explaining that the blackout occurred because negotiations between the platform and SESAC had failed to produce a new agreement before the existing one expired.
Mariana de Felice, a YouTube spokesperson, stated:
“We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration. We take copyright very seriously and as a result, content represented by SESAC is no longer available on YouTube in the US. We are in active conversations with SESAC and are hoping to reach a new deal as soon as possible.”
Not All SESAC Music is Blocked
Despite the sweeping impact, not all videos featuring SESAC-represented artists are blocked. For instance, while Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” is unavailable, some performances or other versions of these artists’ songs remain accessible. Kanye West’s music video for “Power” continues to stream, even though other listings for the same song are blocked. This inconsistency has left users uncertain about which videos are affected.
Adding to the confusion, SESAC itself has not publicly commented on the situation. However, their repertory is available online for public access, allowing users to search for impacted songs. The database includes a massive 44,267-page PDF listing all licensed tracks, but not every listed song appears to have been removed from YouTube.
A source from Variety added another layer to the dispute, suggesting that YouTube’s actions could be a negotiating tactic. According to this source, the prior deal between YouTube and SESAC doesn’t officially expire until next week, implying that the content removal may be a strategic move as both parties continue to negotiate. The outcome of these negotiations remains uncertain, as does the timeline for when SESAC-represented music will be restored to YouTube and YouTube Music.
Featured Image courtesy of Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
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