YouTube has reportedly banned music by popular artists such as Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day and Kendrick Lamar in the US. The video platform is said to have done so after a legal dispute with the European Society of Stage Writers and Composers (SESAC) – a professional organization with more than 30,000 composers on it in his list. In response to questions, YouTube has confirmed the content ban and said that license expiration was the main reason.
Music Blocked by YouTube
YouTube says that “despite its best efforts”, it has been unable to reach an agreement with SESAC on renewal terms. Therefore, music by artists under the organization’s list is blocked from YouTube users in the United States under copyright law. However, citing sources, Variety reported that its deal with SESAC does not actually expire until next week and this move may just be a negotiating tactic.
In a statement given to the publication, a YouTube spokesperson said, “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.”
When attempting to play music by artists such as Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Mariah Carey, and R.E.M., users are said to receive the following message, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
Following this development, YouTube users took to social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), complaining about the unavailability of music despite paying for the video-streaming platform’s premium subscription. Some of them also claimed that this move has “ruined” their playlists and asked for a refund or compensation, but met with disappointment as YouTube clarified it does not have plans to offer any sort of a discount to members. Users can cancel their YouTube Premium subscription according to the Terms of Service.
In response to users’ questions about whether they expect to reach an agreement, the video platform says that discussions on the matter are ongoing, but no date has been set for future updates.
