Recently, many YouTube and YouTube Music users were surprised to find some of their favorite songs suddenly unavailable. Instead of music from popular artists, they were met with a message stating:
Video unavailable
This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.
This issue affected a wide range of prominent musicians, from Adele’s iconic “Rolling in the Deep” to tracks by Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Green Day, Kanye West, and Burna Boy. The sudden disappearance of this music raised two key questions: What exactly is SESAC, and when would the music return to the platform?
YouTube Music displaying 'Video unavailable' message for Adele's 'Hello' due to SESAC licensing issues, indicating content ban in some countries.Understanding SESAC’s Role in Music Licensing
SESAC, which stands for the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, is a performing rights organization. Founded in 1930, SESAC plays a crucial role in the music industry by licensing the public performance rights of songs. According to its official website, SESAC “currently licenses the public performance of more than 1.5 million songs on behalf of its 15,000+ affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers.” This means SESAC ensures that songwriters and publishers are compensated when their music is played publicly.
While SESAC is smaller compared to industry giants like BMI and ASCAP, it represents a significant catalog of music, including many well-known artists. In 2017, SESAC was acquired by Blackstone, a private equity firm, further solidifying its position in the music rights landscape.
The YouTube Music Ban: A Licensing Agreement Issue
The reason behind the music disappearing from YouTube was a breakdown in negotiations between YouTube and SESAC regarding a new licensing agreement. YouTube spokesperson Mariana de Felice stated that despite “good faith negotiations” to renew their existing deal, they “were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration.”
As a result of this failure to reach a new agreement, YouTube, taking copyright seriously, had to remove content represented by SESAC for users in the United States. This action was a direct consequence of the expired licensing deal, leading to the “Video unavailable” message for affected songs. YouTube mentioned being in “active conversations with SESAC” and expressing hope for a swift resolution and a new deal.
However, some sources suggested that this removal might have been a negotiating tactic by YouTube. According to a source cited by Variety, the previous agreement was not actually set to expire until the following week. Regardless of the motivations, the immediate impact was that a substantial amount of music became inaccessible on YouTube and YouTube Music.
Resolution and the Return of Music
Fortunately for music fans, the disruption was short-lived. YouTube announced on Monday, September 30th, that a new licensing agreement had been reached with SESAC. This positive development meant that the missing music would be restored to YouTube and YouTube Music “over the next day or two.”
While some music was temporarily unavailable, SESAC maintains a searchable database of its repertory on its website. Interestingly, not all songs listed in SESAC’s repertory were affected by the ban in the same way. For instance, while some listings for Kanye West’s “Power” were blocked, other versions, like the official music video, remained accessible.
The resolution of this licensing dispute ensured the return of a vast catalog of music to YouTube platforms, highlighting the complexities of digital music licensing and the importance of agreements between platforms and rights organizations like SESAC.
