In a strange turn of events, hits from some of the biggest artists in music history have been suspended from YouTube and YouTube Music thanks to a row between the platform and the performing rights organization Society of European Stage Authors and Composers. The feuding left users frustrated as they received the message, “This video contains content from SESAC.”. When trying to play favorite tracks, they received this message: “It is not available in your country.”.
Even such unexpected silencing will raise a host of questions: what is SESAC, why has the disagreement become so momentous, and above all, when would the users again regain their songs at YouTube?.
What is SESAC?
One of the leading PROs licensing more than 1.5 million songs for public performance is SESAC, or Society of European Stage Authors and Composers. Founded in 1930, SESAC’s focus was to provide fair compensation to songwriters, composers, and music publishers’ work. While SESAC has a lot fewer figures compared to popular organizations such as BMI and ASCAP, it represents various genres of popular artists.
Added to its complicated history, as of the year 2017, Blackstone, a private equity firm, acquires SESAC. Its operations, therefore, demand more complexity in their operations. Indeed, the influence of this organization is very vast. The most recent struggle for dominance between SESAC and YouTube has seen tremendous impacts on millions of music enthusiasts globally.
Why Did YouTube Remove SESAC Songs?
YouTube Current Controversy YouTube cannot come to a new licensing agreement with SESAC. According to the tech company, it had been in “good faith” talks with SESAC over renewing its contract but was unable to make an equitable deal before the contract ended. YouTube thus had no option but to remove all SESAC-represented content from its platform to avoid copyright infringement.
SESAC is yet to comment publicly on the issue. However, according to an anonymous source, the deal may not actually lapse technically even before that happens. This might just be YouTube’s negotiating tactics to cajole it into settling in a hurry.
Which Songs and Artists Were Affected?
Given the nature of music SESAC deals in, a wide selection of songs by many artists have been removed from circulation. Among popular acts culled include:
- Adele: “Rolling in the Deep,” “Hello.”.
- Nirvana: Essential grunge tracks from Nirvana, which include the likes of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” are not included.
- Kendrick Lamar: Some Epochal hits, such as “Humble,” have also been eliminated.
- Britney Spears: This list includes “Toxic” and “Baby One More Time,” in addition to being one of the several whose chart-topping hits were affected—this makes singer Britney Spears another victim.
Not all songs are similarly affected. Videos of Kanye West exist, for example, but others can’t be accessed. Such inconsistency annoys users today since they never know when they will ever be able to listen again to their favorite tracks.
Impact on YouTube Users
They were disappointed and confused by these actions. For the longest time, YouTube was one of those go-to sites for free and easy listening to music, and most users today feel that certain tracks are missing from their playlists. Officially, YouTube is claiming efforts at rectifying the situation but does not give a definite timeline on when the affected music will return.
Meanwhile, the user has to improvise with alternatives, whether other streaming services or offline music libraries. For those dependent on YouTube Music subscriptions, this has been frustrating at best.
When Will the Music Return?
No clear answer has been given for how long it will take before SESAC-represented songs are back on the world’s most popular video website, YouTube or YouTube Music. YouTube reportedly was hopeful that the case can be resolved quickly, while discussions between big players such as YouTube and SESAC usually take some time. Living in limbo are music fans, waiting for YouTube and SESAC to agree on a new deal.
Meanwhile, SESAC’s database is available, which provides an extensive listing of the songs and artists they have in their catalogues. However, there are 44,267 pages, so the average user cannot very well know exactly which songs are affected by this.
What Can Users Expect Next?
While no outcome can be foretold, history will probably teach us that YouTube and SESAC will find common ground. Similar disputes have arisen before between a streaming service and a performing rights organization and generally go away once both sides agree upon a financially equitable deal.
FAQs
1. What is SESAC?
SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers) is a performing rights organization that licenses the public performance of songs on behalf of songwriters and music publishers.
2. Why are songs being removed from YouTube?
Songs are being removed due to a licensing dispute between YouTube and SESAC, as they are unable to agree on a new contract.
3. Which artists are affected?
Artists affected include Adele, Nirvana, Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Kanye West, and more.
4. Can I still find these songs on other streaming platforms?
Yes, many of these songs are still available on other streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
5. When will the music return to YouTube?
No specific date has been provided, but YouTube is actively negotiating to restore the removed content.
6. How do I know if a song is affected?
You will see a message saying, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country” if the song is blocked.
7. Is YouTube taking legal action?
There is no indication of legal action. YouTube is attempting to resolve the dispute through negotiations.
8. How long will this dispute last?
It’s unclear how long the negotiations will take, but similar disputes in the past have taken weeks or months to resolve.
9. Are other platforms affected by SESAC disputes?
At this time, the dispute only impacts YouTube and YouTube Music. Other platforms have not reported similar issues.
10. What should I do if my favorite song is blocked?
For now, you may need to use other streaming services or wait until YouTube resolves the licensing issue.
The battle between YouTube and SESAC has been disappointing music listeners, who are unable to stream their favorite music from the iconic artists, such as Adele or Nirvana. Fans are eagerly awaiting a final end to this conflict so that their favorite songs may return to YouTube and YouTube Music.