YouTube has blocked songs by several artists, including Adele, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, and Green Day, due to a legal dispute with the performing rights organization SESAC.
Not all songs from these artists have been affected, but when users attempt to listen to certain tracks—such as Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain”—they encounter a message stating, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
A spokesperson for YouTube explained to the Hollywood Reporter that they had engaged in good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew their existing agreement, but were unable to reach an equitable deal before the contract expired. Consequently, content represented by SESAC is no longer available on YouTube in the U.S.
The X account TeamYouTube addressed customer complaints over the weekend, noting that the license agreement with SESAC had expired without a renewal agreement.
They assured users that negotiations are ongoing to reach a new deal. SESAC is responsible for rights collection in the U.S. and protects copyrights for songwriters and publishers; however, the organization has not yet commented on the dispute with YouTube.
Peoplesmind
