YouTube blocks Nirvana, Green Day, Adele and more amidst U.S. licensing dispute
Music lovers are having a turbulent time online right now. Not only did Spotify suffer an outage on Sunday (though it was quickly fixed), YouTube has also suddenly stopped serving many popular tunes. Unfortunately, it seems as though this issue won't be rectified as easily.
YouTube users in the U.S. received an unwelcome surprise this weekend, with the video streaming platform suddenly blocking a significant swathe of music. Numerous videos are now unavailable, replaced by a black screen and dour notification where they had previously been readily accessible.
"This video contains content from SESAC," reads YouTube's notice. "It is not available in your country."
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SESAC is a music licensing organisation which handles the performance rights and royalties of thousands of artists. Though initially founded as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, SESAC has since branched out to represent many non-European artists.
Unfortunately, the licensing agreement between YouTube and SESAC is nearing its end, and the two have struggled to agree on a new deal. Without an agreement in place, YouTube will no longer be able to host songs covered by SESAC.
"Over the last few months, our teams have been working hard to renew our agreement with SESAC," wrote the official TeamYouTube account. "Unfortunately, despite best efforts, we haven't been able to reach an agreement on terms for a new deal yet. For this reason, we need to block certain music content on YouTube in the US."
A YouTube spokesperson echoed this in a statement to Mashable.
"We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal," said the spokesperson. "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."
A wide variety of music has been impacted by the block, from Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," "Problem" by Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea, and Green Day's "American Idiot", to iconic tunes such as R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion," "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan.
Official videos aren't the only ones affected either. All videos which use SESAC-licensed audio are no longer accessible, taking out fan-edited music videos alongside ones from the artists themselves. Covers are being blocked as well, so you won't even be able to enjoy KIDZ BOP's rendition of "Wake Me Up When September Ends."
It isn't clear when this issue might be resolved. TeamYouTube has stated that while discussions with SESAC are ongoing, they "don't have any exact dates for future updates yet." However, a source speaking to Variety has claimed that YouTube's deal with SESAC doesn't actually expire until next week, speculating that the early takedown may be a negotiating tactic.
If so, it's one that won't earn them any goodwill. Many YouTube users have expressed anger at being suddenly cut off from their music videos, with some threatening to cancel their YouTube Premium subscriptions.
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Mashable has reached out to SESAC for comment.
TikTok ran into a similar music licensing issue with Universal Music Group (UMG) earlier this year. UMG pulled its catalogue from the platform after their partnership expired, bringing TikTok's trending sound economy to a standstill as countless videos were muted. The two finally reached an agreement in May, returning music from UMG's clients to TikTok, but it was certainly a weird few months on the video sharing app.
Until YouTube and SESAC can also reach an agreement, the former's musical landscape is going to sound very different.
UPDATE: Oct. 1, 2024, 9:24 a.m. AEST This article has been updated with a statement from YouTube.
UPDATE: Oct. 1, 2024, 3:23 p.m. AEST In a new statement to Mashable, a YouTube spokesperson has said that they have now come to an agreement with SESAC. "We're pleased that SESAC reconsidered our offer," said the spokesperson. "We've reached a deal and content will come back up shortly. We appreciate everyone's patience during this time."
