YouTube has abruptly removed music videos from numerous high-profile artists, including Adele, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Kendrick Lamar, Green Day and others due to an ongoing licensing dispute with the performing rights organisation SESAC. Users attempting to access these videos are now greeted with a message stating, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
The takedown, which occurred on Saturday, affects both YouTube’s main platform and its YouTube Music service.The dispute impacts a wide range of popular artists, from Kendrick Lamar and Green Day to Burna Boy, leaving music fans unable to access many hit songs.
SESAC, which stands for the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, represents over 15,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The organisation licences the public performance rights for more than 1.5 million songs.
YouTube spokesperson Mariana de Felice stated to The Verge, “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.”
According to The Verge, an unnamed source suggested that this move could be a negotiating tactic by YouTube, claiming that “the previous deal actually does not expire until next week.”
The exact scope of the takedown remains unclear, as not all songs represented by SESAC appear to be affected uniformly. For instance, while one version of Kanye West’s “Power” is blocked, the music video version remains accessible at the time of writing.
YouTube has expressed hope for a swift resolution, with de Felice adding, “We are in active conversations with SESAC and are hoping to reach a new deal as soon as possible.”