A legal dispute between YouTube and the performing rights organization SESAC has resulted in certain songs by artists such as Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, R.E.M., Burna Boy, and Rush becoming unplayable in the U.S. Users attempting to access these songs on Saturday encountered a message stating, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
This disagreement comes on the heels of a lengthy dispute earlier this year between Universal Music Group and TikTok, which was eventually resolved.
In a statement, a YouTube representative explained, “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 U.S. We are in active conversations with SESAC and hope to reach a new deal as soon as possible.” SESAC representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Sources indicate that the current agreement may not have actually expired yet, suggesting that YouTube’s actions could be a negotiating tactic. While SESAC is smaller than organizations like ASCAP and BMI, it represents a significant portion of high-profile artists.
Performing rights organizations in the U.S. help manage royalties and protect copyrights for songwriters and music publishers. They have the ability to block public performances of music across various platforms, although enforcing these blocks can be complex. The sporadic blocking of SESAC content on YouTube reflects this challenge.
Fans quickly became aware of the situation, prompting responses from the TeamYouTube account on X (formerly Twitter). They acknowledged the issue, stating, “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 U.S. known to be associated with SESAC – as in line with copyright law.”
TeamYouTube communicated that they are working to reach a new agreement, although no specific timeline for updates was provided. Historically, disputes between rights-holders and platforms are fairly common and usually resolve within a short timeframe, except for some notable long-term disagreements.
Over the years, YouTube has improved its relationship with music companies, especially since hiring former Warner Music executive Lyor Cohen as its head of music in 2016. However, the recent block illustrates that conflicts can still arise. More updates on the situation are expected as it develops.