YouTube has blocked songs by popular artists such as Adele, Bob Dylan, Inexperienced Day and Kendrick Lamar in the United States, according to a report. The video streaming platform is said to have taken this step following a legal rights dispute with the Society of European Performing Authors and Composers (SESAC), a for-profit organization that protects performance rights and has more than 30,000 composers in its catalog. In response to queries, YouTube has acknowledged the blocking of content, pointing out the expiration of its license as the underlying issue.
Songs blocked by YouTube
YouTube dice has not been able to reach an agreement with SESAC on the renewal conditions “despite its best efforts.” Therefore, music by artists in the organization’s catalog has been blocked for YouTube users in the US in accordance with copyright law. However, citing sources, Selection reported that its agreement with SESAC does not expire until next week and that this measure may simply be a negotiation 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 discussions. with SESAC and we hope to reach a new agreement as soon as possible.”
When attempting to play music from artists such as Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Inexperienced Day, Mariah Carey and REM, users are said to receive the following message: “This video contains SESAC content. 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 lack of availability of music despite paying for the video streaming platform’s premium subscription. Some of them too complained that this move has “ruined” his playlists and asked for a refund or compensation, but was disappointed when YouTube clarified that it has no plans to offer any kind of discount to members. Users can cancel their subscription to YouTube Premium according to its terms of service, it added.
Responding To questions from users about hopes of reaching an agreement, the video streaming platform says that discussions continue on the topic, but there are still no fixed dates for future updates.
