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Some of the most popular songs on YouTube and YouTube Music, such as Adele’s “Someone Like You,” Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Bob Dylan’s “I Want You,” and R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” vanished on Saturday, replaced by a brief message:
“Video unavailable.
This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
Other artists affected by the removal include Alice in Chains, Burna Boy, Fleetwood Mac, Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Green Day, Kanye West, and more. This disruption stems from a legal dispute between YouTube and SESAC, a performance rights organization that manages copyright issues for songwriters and publishers.
But what exactly is SESAC, and when will the music return?
SESAC is one of several companies that help protect songwriters’ works and ensure they receive royalties. Like Universal Music Group’s previous battle with TikTok, in which millions of songs by artists like Adele, Bad Bunny, and Taylor Swift were taken down for months, SESAC and YouTube are still unable to come to an agreement on new licensing arrangements.
The big question remains: when will these songs return to the platform?
It’s hard to say, as copyright disputes can last anywhere from days to months. For example, Warner Music Group removed its music videos from YouTube for nearly a year during a similar conflict from 2008-2009. So, the return of these tracks is uncertain for now.
