YouTube Removes Adele, Nirvana, and More in SESAC Licensing Battle

September 29, 2024 admin3739 Technology 0

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Popular Songs Missing from YouTube and YouTube Music Amid SESAC Negotiations

If you’ve recently noticed some of your favorite songs missing from YouTube or YouTube Music, you’re not alone. Many popular tracks have been temporarily removed due to ongoing negotiations between YouTube and the performing rights organization, SESAC. This has left many users frustrated, especially when trying to stream hit songs from big artists like Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, and Kanye West. Here’s what you need to know about the situation.

What Happened to the Missing Songs?

On Saturday, many users attempting to play certain hit songs encountered an unexpected message instead of their desired track:

Video unavailable.

This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.

This issue has affected a variety of popular songs, leaving fans disappointed when trying to access big hits like Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” or Green Day’s catalog. While this situation is frustrating, it stems from ongoing contract negotiations between YouTube and SESAC, a key organization in music licensing.

What is SESAC?

Understanding SESAC

SESAC, or the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, is one of the major performing rights organizations (PROs). Founded in 1930, SESAC licenses the public performance of over 1.5 million songs for its 15,000+ affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers. Though smaller than other organizations like BMI and ASCAP, SESAC represents several well-known artists.

In 2017, SESAC was acquired by the private equity firm Blackstone, strengthening its influence in the music industry.

SESAC’s Role in Music Licensing

Like other PROs, SESAC’s primary role is to collect royalties for songwriters and composers when their music is played publicly. This includes streams on platforms like YouTube. The ongoing negotiations with YouTube revolve around renewing the terms of this licensing agreement, which has temporarily affected music availability.

When Will the Music Return?

Uncertainty About the Timeline

The big question on everyone’s mind is: when will these hit songs return to YouTube and YouTube Music? Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear answer at the moment. The duration of these licensing negotiations can vary, and YouTube has not provided an exact timeline for when a deal with SESAC will be reached.

Which Songs Are Affected?

SESAC provides a searchable database of its music repertory, which includes over a million songs. However, not all of the listed songs have been removed from YouTube. In some cases, certain versions of songs are unavailable, while others are still accessible. For example, one version of Kanye West’s “Power” is blocked, but the music video version remains available for streaming.

What Can You Do?

While there’s little users can do to bring the songs back faster, you can:

  • Check SESAC’s database to see if a specific song is affected.
  • Look for alternative versions of the song, such as music videos or live performances, which may still be available.
  • Stay updated on YouTube’s announcements regarding the negotiations.

Temporary Removal

While the temporary removal of popular songs on YouTube and YouTube Music due to SESAC negotiations is frustrating, it’s a result of necessary licensing discussions that will eventually be resolved. For now, fans will have to wait patiently for their favorite tracks to return to the platform.

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