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Songs by stars such as Adele, Nirvana, and Bob Dylan have been blocked on YouTube due to an unsettled licensing dispute with the performing rights organization SESAC. The Google-owned company reportedly did not reach “an equitable agreement” to renew their contract for streaming music on the platform.
Some songs by artists including Mariah Carey, Green Day, Kendrick Lamar, and R.E.M. were among those unavailable on YouTube over the weekend. The videos were replaced with the message: “Video unavailable.
“This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
Update on the SESAC/YouTube renewal situation
byu/CalluMeLater inYoutubeMusic
In a statement to Variety, a YouTube spokesperson said: “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.”
Earlier this year, ReadWrite reported that Universal Music Group and TikTok were embroiled in a similar dispute that lasted for several months before reaching a resolution.
Who is SESAC and why is it blocking music?
SESAC, a for-profit performance rights organization in the United States, was founded in 1930 as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers. It is the second-oldest performance rights organization in the country, representing 30,000 songwriters and over one million compositions in its catalog. It also deals with licensing agreements, including those on the video streaming platform.
@claybitkid we hear you. our music license agreement with SESAC has expired without an agreement on renewal conditions despite our best efforts. for this reason, we have blocked content on YouTube in the US known to be associated with SESAC – as in line with copyright law
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 28, 2024
Consequently, YouTube’s customer service has been responding to user frustrations on X. The TeamYouTube account has been addressing complaints with replies such as: “Our music license agreement with SESAC has expired without an agreement on renewal conditions despite our best efforts. For this reason, we have blocked content on YouTube in the US known to be associated with SESAC – as in line with copyright law … We understand this is a difficult situation and our teams continue to work on reaching a renewal agreement.”
ReadWrite has reached out to YouTube for comment.
Featured image: Canva / Marcen27 / Alberto Cabello
