Popular songs vanish from YouTube over US license dispute

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Some of the most popular songs on YouTube and YouTube Music vanished from the platform on Saturday because of a SESAC dispute. Music from Adele, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Green Day, Kendrick Lamar, and several other well-known artists shows an error message on their music and videos. 

The notification states that the video or song has been restricted because it contains content from SESAC. Meanwhile, songs and music videos continue to play smoothly outside the United States.

When will your favorite music come back to YouTube?

In a statement provided to The Verge, YouTube explains that the problem here derives from its failure to reach an agreement with SESAC to license the music.

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. 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.

SESAC is significant because it protects composers and publishers, safeguarding their rights under copyright laws. If music is performed in public, it must be licensed from the copyright holder.

SESAC offers a blanket license agreement, which many businesses find useful and cost-effective for public performances of their songs.

The firm claims to represent top artists such as Adele, R.E.M., Ariana Grande, Kesha, and more, and their collection includes more than 1.5 million songs.

According to Variety, YouTube’s arrangement with SESAC does not expire until next week, raising speculation that restricting the playback of certain songs early on is a “negotiating tactic.”

Unfortunately, YouTube has not answered when these songs will be available again, so the wait could last days or weeks. Until then, using a VPN service or alternative music streaming services is the only solution. 

Have you noticed any of your favorites tracks disappear from YouTube? Are you planning on listening to them elsewhere? Tell us what you think in the comments, down below. Follow our Twitter and Facebook for more tech news.