A range of YouTube videos featuring music from prominent artists such as Adele, Green Day, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, and R.E.M. have become unplayable in the United States since Saturday. Viewers attempting to play Bob Dylan’s classic “Like A Rolling Stone” are met with a message stating, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country,” sometimes even after viewing a pre-roll advertisement.
Interestingly, not all videos from these artists are affected, leaving some uncertainty about whether the playable videos are exempt from the current dispute or simply overlooked.
YouTube attributed the issue to unsuccessful negotiations with SESAC, a performing rights organization that represents over 35,000 music artists and publishers. In a statement, YouTube said, “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration. 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 hope to reach a new deal as soon as possible.”
This situation mirrors a recent dispute between Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok, where UMG removed songs by artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish from the platform during royalty negotiations.
Unlike UMG, SESAC is not a record label but an organization that collects royalties for songwriters and publishers, similar to ASCAP and BMI. In addition to the aforementioned artists, SESAC also represents musicians such as Burna Boy, George Clinton, Kenny Rogers, and Kings of Leon, among others.
Philips Babatunde