Over the weekend, many of the most viewed music videos on YouTube and YouTube Music were removed for users of some countries (in Italy they continue to be visible), and a message warns:
“Video not available. This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”
Among the removed songs are hits by artists such as Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Green Day, Kanye West and Burna Boy. Many users
SESAC is the acronym for “Society of European Stage Authors and Composers”, founded in 1930. This organization represents over 1.5 million songs on behalf of more than 15,000 authors, composers and music publishers. Although smaller than BMI and ASCAP, SESAC has a large repertoire of world-renowned artists. Since 2017, SESAC has been owned by the private equity firm Blackstone.
It is not yet clear when the songs will be available again. YouTube said it was engaged in “good faith negotiations” with SESAC to renew the licensing agreement, but the parties failed to reach a new agreement before the deadline.
According to some sources, the removal could be a negotiating tactic by YouTube, as the previous agreement may not expire until next week. Not all SESAC songs have been removed, for example the version of Kanye West’s “Power” music video is still accessible.