Music fans in the United States have been hit by a wave of blocked content on YouTube, as a licensing dispute between the platform and SESAC, a major music rights organization, has led to the removal of many iconic songs. Since Saturday, tracks from artists like Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Nirvana, and R.E.M. have become unavailable, frustrating millions of users who rely on YouTube for their music streaming needs.
SESAC and the Licensing Dispute
YouTube’s current dispute is with SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers), a performance rights organization that represents over 35,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. SESAC’s role, much like other organizations such as ASCAP and BMI, is to collect royalties on behalf of its members when their work is performed publicly. This includes performances on radio, in restaurants, and now, on digital platforms like YouTube.
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Despite ongoing negotiations between YouTube and SESAC, the platform failed to secure a renewal of its licensing agreement, leading to the immediate removal of SESAC-represented content from YouTube for U.S. viewers. Users trying to access blocked videos are met with the message: “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.” YouTube, in a statement, said: “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 are hoping to reach a new deal as soon as possible.”
Artists and Songs Affected
Many popular songs have been caught in the crossfire of this licensing dispute. Tracks like Adele’s “Someone Like You,” Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” are among the notable titles that are now unavailable in the U.S. Other artists affected by the block include Fleetwood Mac, Burna Boy, and Kendrick Lamar. However, not all videos from these artists are blocked—some may have escaped due to different licensing agreements or were missed in the large-scale content removal.
This issue bears resemblance to a similar dispute earlier this year between Universal Music Group and TikTok, where artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish had their songs pulled from the video-sharing platform. That standoff was eventually resolved, with TikTok promising new royalty models and protections for artists against generative AI concerns.
Fans React and YouTube Responds
The abrupt removal of these songs has left music lovers frustrated, especially those who depend on YouTube as a primary music streaming service. Fans took to social media to voice their dissatisfaction, with one user stating on Reddit, “I wouldn’t know half of the songs I listen to if I hadn’t heard it on YouTube!”
YouTube’s official response, posted on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledged fans’ concerns and reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the issue. The company stated: “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.” YouTube further reassured users that it is actively working towards a new agreement.
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While negotiations between YouTube and SESAC continue, the block remains in place, affecting a substantial portion of popular music content on the platform. Historically, such disputes tend to be resolved relatively quickly, as neither party benefits from prolonged disruptions. A previous disagreement between YouTube and Warner Music Group in 2008, for instance, resulted in a nine-month blackout of Warner’s content before a deal was finally reached.
