If you’ve been browsing YouTube for music in the past 24 hours, you may have noticed that some of them had been taken down by something called “SESAC.” Fortunately, if you revisit the affected videos now, everything has gone back to normal. So, what on earth is SESAC, and why did they take down very popular music tracks for a day?
Why SESAC Took Down Popular Music Videos
The problems began on September 29th, when YouTube was having issues with the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers—or “SESAC,” as we more familiarly know it as. YouTube and SESAC had a deal that allowed the former to host the latter’s music on their website, which allowed people to watch popular music videos for free.
Much like most of these types of music deals, this one had an expiration date set to October 1st, and YouTube couldn’t strike a deal before then. To prepare for the worst-case scenario, YouTube pre-emptively blocked the music videos so they didn’t get in trouble for streaming music they didn’t have the rights to. If you wanted to see popular music videos from SESAC like Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” you were out of luck.
How the Songs Came Back to YouTube
Fortunately, by the time you’ve read this, the issues with the SESAC deal have been ironed out. YouTube has arrived at a deal that both agreed upon, and all of the affected music videos have returned. In a statement to The Verge, the SESAC performing rights president and COO Scott Jungmichel helped clear things up:
“We have reached an agreement with YouTube to equitably compensate SESAC’s songwriters and publishers for the use of their music. We appreciate the support and patience of our affiliates, as well as the artists who perform those songs. During our negotiations with YouTube, our affiliates’ works were unilaterally removed by YouTube ahead of the contract end date of October 1, 2024. YouTube has begun the process of reinstating videos featuring these songs.”
Some videos may still be affected by the block, but they should return to normal once YouTube finally gets around to unblocking them. While you wait, why not check out our analysis of the new YouTube Music AI radio service?
