Several Famous Music Videos Taken Down From YouTube in the U.S. Amid Copyright Issues
Hundreds of popular music videos have been taken down from YouTube in the United States due to an ongoing copyright conflict. Over the weekend, a large number of videos—potentially thousands—were blocked across North America as a result of a dispute between YouTube and the licensing agency SESAC. Recognized by the US Copyright Office, SESAC manages royalty collections and safeguards copyrights for thousands of songwriters and publishers in the U.S.
The removal impacted several well-known artists, including Nirvana, Adele, Green Day, Mariah Carey, Kendrick Lamar, and R.E.M., among others. However, only specific songs were blocked, meaning that while some music videos remain accessible, others display the message: “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
Image Courtesy: Soundstripe
According to a report from Variety, the disagreement arises from YouTube’s inability to secure a new agreement with SESAC. Their previous deal reportedly expired last week, as stated by a YouTube account handler on X in response to complaints from users.
“our music license agreement with SESAC has expired without an agreement on renewal conditions despite our best efforts. for this reason, we have blocked content on YouTube in the US known to be associated with SESAC – as in line with copyright law.”
A representative for YouTube said in a statement to Variety that the platform is in active negotiations with SESAC for a new agreement: “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 full list of artists and music videos impacted by the YouTube-SESAC dispute has not yet been released. Earlier this year, a similar situation occurred between TikTok and Universal Music Group (UMG). In January, UMG issued a public letter stating its plan to remove music from its signed artists on TikTok after negotiations to renew their contract, originally signed in 2021, fell through. However, a new agreement was reached in May, concluding the four-month period during which UMG artists’ music was unavailable on the platform.
–Silviya.Y
