Here’s why you may not find songs by Adele, Kendrick Lamar on YouTube anymore

YouTube users yesterday woke up confused to a lot of their favourite songs being unexpectedly pulled out of the platform. The message they got? ‘This video contains content from SESAC’ and that it is ‘not available in your country’.

But this message didn’t reach every user, and it certainly didn’t block every single music video by their favourite artist. So, what is this all about? And most importantly, will the music ever come back? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is SESAC?

SESAC, or the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, has been around since 1930. According to its official website, the performance-rights organisation states that it currently licenses the ‘public performance of more than 1.5 million songs’, on behalf of its 15,000+ affiliated songwriters, music producers as well as composers.

Unlike ASCAP (American American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast Music Industry), SESAC is comparatively smaller — but still hosts several well-known artists within its portfolio.

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In a statement to the Press, YouTube mentioned that failed negotiations with SESAC led to the removal of content on the video streaming website and smartphone app. It went on to state how it “takes copyright very seriously”, and because of this, the content represented by SESAC will no longer be available on YouTube.

Which artists are impacted by the dispute?

With over 30,000 songwriters and composers in its catalogue, several artists are said to be pulled out of the platform with the ongoing dispute. Some of the well-known names include Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Green Day, Nirvana, Bob Dylan and even Burna Boy.

So far, it remains unclear if the deal will be renewed, and SESAC has yet to publicly comment about its stance. However, YouTube in its statement spoke about how it is in ‘active conversations’ with SESAC over renewing the deal as ‘soon as possible’.