YouTube Removes Songs by Adele, Nirvana, and Others Amid SESAC Licensing Dispute

Many popular songs have vanished from YouTube and YouTube Music as the platform negotiates a new licensing deal with SESAC, a performing rights organization.

By Richard Lawler, Senior Editor at The Verge

Published: September 29, 2024, 7:46 AM GMT+6

Several hit songs have gone missing from YouTube and YouTube Music as of Saturday, replaced with a brief message that reads: 

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

Fans of artists like Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Green Day, Kanye West, Britney Spears, and Burna Boy may have been surprised to see this message when trying to stream their favorite songs.

So, what exactly is SESAC, and when will the music be back?

SESAC, or the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, was founded in 1930. According to its website, the organization “licenses the public performance of more than 1.5 million songs” for over 15,000 songwriters, composers, and publishers. Though smaller than BMI or ASCAP, SESAC represents many major artists. In 2017, it was acquired by private equity firm Blackstone.

As for when the music will return, that’s less clear. While SESAC has a database of licensed songs, not all tracks have been affected equally. For example, Kanye West’s song “Power” is currently blocked, but the official music video is still available. 

Although SESAC hasn’t publicly commented on the dispute, YouTube did provide a statement. Spokesperson Mariana de Felice explained:

“We have engaged in good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing agreement. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, we couldn’t reach a fair deal before it expired. As a result, SESAC-represented content is no longer available on YouTube in the US. We are actively discussing the matter and hope to finalize a new agreement soon.”