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UPDATE (10/1): YouTube has signed a new licensing deal with SESAC. Songs that were blocked as a result of the expiring contract will be restored in a day or two, the platform announced in an X post.
YouTube's previous deal with SESAC, a performance rights organization that represents over 15,000 artists, was valid until Oct. 1. However, the Google-owned platform "unilaterally removed" many tracks before that date while negotiations for a new deal were still ongoing, Scott Jungmichel, SESAC president and COO, confirmed in a statement.
"We have reached an agreement with YouTube to equitably compensate SESAC’s songwriters and publishers for the use of their music. During our negotiations with YouTube, our affiliates’ works were unilaterally removed by YouTube ahead of the contract end date of October 1, 2024," Jungmichel told Variety. "YouTube has begun the process of reinstating videos featuring these songs."
Original Story (9/30): In the US, YouTube has pulled music videos by Adele, Green Day, Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Bob Dylan, and other artists because of an ongoing copyright dispute with performance rights organization SESAC, Variety reports.
The Society of European Stage Authors and Composers represents over 15,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers and manages the collection and distribution of their royalties. It has an active contract with YouTube, but it expires next week, and renewal negotiations have hit a roadblock.
"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," a YouTube representative tells Variety. "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."
Since Saturday, many songs from artists represented by SESAC have shown this message on YouTube: "This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country."
But just because an artist has ties to SESAC, it doesn't mean every song they've ever released is being blocked, however. A quick test on YouTube shows Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin" is blocked due to SESAC, but other songs, like "Must Be Santa," are not blocked.
A source close to the matter tells Variety that blocking songs one week before the deal's expiration could be YouTube's strategy to dictate terms for the new agreement.
Earlier this year, Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok were also engaged in a similar public spat over contract issues. UMG accused TikTok of bullying them into accepting a lower-paying contract, leading to several months of contract negotiations. During this period, some songs from the record label were muted or unavailable on TikTok. Ultimately, the two parties managed to strike a new deal, and songs were restored on the social media platform.