YouTube loses access to several songs due to licensing dispute

29 Sep 2024, 09:34 by Chethan Rao · Android Police

Key Takeaways

Several songs and music videos by big-name artists are blocked on YouTube and YouTube Music in the US due to licensing issues with SESAC.
SESAC holds licenses for songs by many artists, causing playback errors for certain content in the US. However, music playback in other parts of the world is unaffected.
A source claims YouTube's deal with SESAC doesn't expire until next week, indicating this is all part of a negotiating tactic by YouTube.

YouTube and YouTube Music are among our favorite streaming services, though Google doesn't make it easy sometimes. As frequent users would know, both platforms have an extensive collection of high-quality music spanning multiple genres and decades. But all is not well with the two services, as users in the US learned over the weekend. Trying to play a popular song or music video by certain artists on either platform returns an error message saying the content isn't available in their region.

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The error message can be seen in songs and music videos by Adele, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Green Day, Kendrick Lamar, and several other big-name artists. This message also explains that the video/song has been blocked since it includes content from SESAC. Meanwhile, songs and music videos continue to play without a hitch outside the US.

As The Verge explains, SESAC or the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, holds the license for the public performance/playback of songs by many artists. SESAC's website says "15,000+ affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers" are under its umbrella.

The issue here stems from YouTube's inability to finalize a deal with SESAC to license the music. As you would expect, the YouTube Music subreddit is inundated with posts about this SESAC error message. One user got a response from TeamYouTube on X/Twitter, explaining the platform's stance on the missing songs.

Could this be a 'negotiating tactic'?

Source: YouTube

In a statement to The Verge, YouTube spokesperson Mariana de Felice said, "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."

A source quoted by Variety claims that YouTube's deal with SESAC doesn't expire until next week, raising suspicion that blocking the playback of these songs early could be a "negotiating tactic." Unfortunately, there are no answers from YouTube on when these songs will return, so the wait could stretch on for days or weeks.

While some may find success in using a VPN to get some of these songs to work again, a more concrete solution would be appreciated by all. In the meantime, some customers are understandably considering a jump to alternative music streaming services due to this issue.