See Which Music Videos Have Suddenly Returned to YouTube
· Ultimate Classic RockVideos from acts represented by the SESAC performing rights organization are slowly returning to YouTube after they signed a new deal.
The agreement follows days when clips from Rush, Bob Dylan, R.E.M., Nirvana and others were suddenly unavailable. Instead, viewers received an error message: "This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country."
“We have reached an agreement with YouTube to equitably compensate SESAC's songwriters and publishers for the use of their music," SESAC President Scott Jungmichel said in an official statement. "We appreciate the support and patience of our affiliates, as well as the artists who perform those songs."
READ MORE: Top 35 Journey Videos
Jungmichel also confirmed that SESAC was not responsible for the missing videos. "During our negotiations with YouTube, our affiliates' works were unilaterally removed by YouTube ahead of the contract end date of Oct. 1, 2024," Jungmichel said. "YouTube has begun the process of reinstating videos featuring these songs."
That process is clearly going to take some time. As of 1PM ET today, popular Rush videos like "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight" were still not available in the United States. Neither were Dylan's "Jokerman" and "Sweetheart Like You" clips.
"Man on the Moon" could be found on R.E.M.'s official channel, but "Losing My Religion" and "Stand" were missing. Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was still blocked.
Founded in 1930, SESAC licenses some 1.5 million songs for public performance. More than 15,000 songwriters and music publishers are affiliated with the company, which has been owned by the private equity firm Blackstone since 2017.
No. 20. Billy Squier Thinks 'Rock Me Tonite' Is a Good Idea
(1984)
Turns out, the Buggles were right, at least as it pertains to Billy Squier. Before releasing the "Rock Me Tonite" video, Squier had scored three Top 40 hits, including his No. 17 smash "The Stroke." After releasing the "Rock Me Tonite" video, Squier never got any higher than No. 58. For what it's worth, Squier said he had the last laugh (pink tank top notwithstanding) by getting to retire early.
No. 19. John Fogerty's Bandmates Take Over a Creedence Album
(1972)
Creedence Clearwater Revival issued five platinum-selling Top 10 albums between 1969 and '70, hurtling chief songwriter John Fogerty to wider fame. Then his bandmates decided they needed a bigger share of the spotlight. One quit, while the others wrote the bulk of the songs on Mardi Gras. Way to kill the buzz, guys – and the band.
No. 18. Bob Dylan Deliberately Tries to Piss Us Off
(1970)
Exhausted from the attention he'd garnered during his '60s-era heyday, Bob Dylan said, "Well, fuck it." He literally said, "Well, fuck it." That's not hyperbole. Self Portrait followed, an album he admitted was meant to be something his fans could not relate to and would not possibly like. It worked.
No. 17. Dee Dee Ramone, Noted Punk Rocker, Starts Rapping
(1987)
The late Dee Dee Ramone was many things, including the Ramones' co-founding bassist and their most prolific songwriter. His best-known songs included "Rockaway Beach," "53rd and 3rd" and "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg," the latter of which was named independent single of the year in 1986 at the New York Music Awards. So, of course, Ramone immediately transformed himself into rapper "Dee Dee King" to record Standing in the Spotlight. Not for long.
No. 16. The Grammys Ignore the Cars and Elvis Costello
(1979)
The Grammys had just given Best New Artist nods to the Starlight Vocal Band and Debby Boone, so they weren't exactly on the roll. Still, 1979 was a particularly notable year for best new artists, with both the Cars and Elvis Costello among the nominees. Instead, the statuette went to Taste of Honey, who'd only score one more hit before vanishing (with the Starlight Vocal Band and Debby Boone) into the disco-ball ether.
No. 15. Metallica Goes After Their Own Fans
(2000)
You've probably never heard "I Disappear," which actually disappeared after arriving on the soundtrack for Mission Impossible 2. But not before leaking on an early file-sharing service. Metallica lashed out at their own fanbase, asking Napster to ban more than 30,000 users after turning over their names.
No. 14. Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees Film 'Sgt. Pepper's'
(1979)
Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees walked onto the set of a deeply misguided movie version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as two of the biggest acts in music. The concept behind this variety show-level weirdness, as espoused by Robin Gibb, was that these Beatles songs had been forgotten. "When ours comes out," he added, "it will be, in effect, as if theirs never existed." In fact, almost the exact opposite happened.
No. 13. Neil Young Loses It in the '80s
(1982)
Geffen undoubtedly signed Neal Young in the early '80s with hopes of issuing, you know, Neal Young records. Instead, he turned in a series of strange genre records, beginning with the Kraftwerk-inspired and truly weird Trans. By the time it was over, and this is absolutely true, Geffen had sued Neil Young for not sounding like, you know, Neil Young.
No. 12. Decca Records Sends the Beatles Packing
(1962)
Meet Dick Rowe, the Decca Records A&R man who rejected a demo tape of 15 song by a then-unknown group called Beatles. He told manager Brian Epstein that the reason was simple: "Guitar groups are on their way out." Instead, Rowe signed those world-famous hitmakers Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.
No. 11. Guns N' Roses Goes on as Axl Rose's Backing Band
(1994)
You'd think Axl Rose had a grand plan when he fired everyone in Guns N' Roses. Instead, he surrounded himself with a merry-go-round of faceless contributors then took 15 years to complete the deflating and odd Chinese Democracy, burning through a mountain of cash. Geffen eventually offered Rose a $1 million bonus to hurry along production of the album. He finally released it – almost a decade later.
No. 10. Ticketmaster Thinks Dynamic Pricing Is a Good Idea
(2022)
Bots have overrun the concert ticket business by automatically purchasing the best seats for money-grubbing re-sellers. Ticketmaster's solution was so-called "dynamic pricing," which would pair cost with availability. Bruce Springsteen got caught up in this wrongheaded scheme when he announced a long-awaited return to the road. Turns out, Ticketmaster's solution for ridiculously inflated prices was to ... ridiculously inflate prices.
No. 9. The Sex Pistols Think Sid Vicious Is a Good Idea
(1977)
Johnny Rotten couldn't get along with Glen Matlock, and so fired him – even though Matlock was a) an actual bassist, b) their principal songwriter and c) not a piece of shit. Not so Sid Vicious. So, things did not work out.
No. 8. Roger Waters Dares Pink Floyd to Go On
(1985)
Roger Waters assumed Pink Floyd would put away the inflatable pig when he walked out the door. They did not put away the inflatable pig. In fact, they later issued three international Top 5 hit albums, two of which went multi-platinum. Meanwhile, Waters wouldn't even crack the Top 20 until 2017's Is This the Life We Really Want? By then, Pink Floyd had finally retired.
No. 7. Van Halen Hires the Extreme Guy For Some Reason
(1998)
Their last album with Sammy Hagar was a dud. Their attempt to reunite with David Lee Roth was worse. So why not burn the whole thing down with Gary Cherone, right?
No. 6. U2 Tries to Make You Listen to U2
(2014)
U2 inked a deal where everyone with an Apple device got a free copy of their latest album. That might have been cool if the new album was Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. Also, it might have been cool if everyone with an Apple device was a U2 fan. Turns out, neither of those things was true. Engineers were forced to create a new one-click delete function.
No. 5. Kiss Decides to Try Prog?
(1981)
Kiss was over by the early '80s. So was progressive rock.
No. 4. Woodstock Goes Up in Flames on Its 30th Anniversary
(1999)
Like most sequels to sequels, this did not end well. Organizers put together a solid lineup but forgot about a few small logistical matters – including adequate security, shelter, toilets and water. The third Woodstock, held on dreary decommissioned upstate New York Air Force base, eventually devolved into a riot.
No. 3. John Lennon Says Something About Jesus
(1966)
John Lennon told a reporter with the Evening Standard that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, and the repercussions went way beyond radio station bans and the incineration of piles of records. Stunned and exhausted, the Beatles never toured together again.
No. 2. Jerry Lee Lewis Marries His Underaged Cousin
(1958)
Then-22-year-old rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis issued "High School Confidential" in May 1958, hitting No. 21 back home as he launched an international tour. Lewis brought along a 13-year-old, and the British media soon became curious. "Who are you?" a reporter asked. "I'm Myra," she answered, "Jerry's wife." The teenager was also Lewis' cousin. To the surprise of no one (except apparently Lewis), his career was ruined. Lewis never bested "High School Confidential" on the charts again.
No. 1. The Rolling Stones Hire a Biker Gang for Concert Security
(1969)
Altamont might have been comparable in terms of mistakes with Woodstock '99, but for a 39-inch high stage. Similar organizational issues with water and toilets plagued this Woodstock knockoff, held at a California speedway. But that low-slung performance area required the hiring of security guards, and the Rolling Stones signed off on bringing in Hells Angels to help out. One of them killed a concertgoer, and the '60s along with it.
Whitesnake Video Star Tawny Kitaen's Rock ‘n’ Roll History