SESAC Dispute with YouTube – How It’s Dramatically Impacting Music Fans in the USA (And What’s Being Done to Resolve It)

Abu Quatada

3 months ago

In recent news, SESAC, a leading performance rights organization, has been at the center of a legal dispute with YouTube. The dispute led to iconic songs from artists such as Adele, Bob Dylan and Green Day being removed from the platform in the US, leaving millions of music fans disappointed. In this article, we will learn what SESAC is, why the dispute happened and how it affects both music lovers and artists in the US.

What Is SESAC?

SESAC stands for Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, although it primarily operates in the United States. It is one of the major performance rights organizations (PROs) that help protect and manage the copyrights of songwriters, composers, and music publishers. SESAC represents over 15,000 collaborators and licenses over 1.5 million musical works, ensuring that creators receive royalties whenever their music is performed or streamed.

Unlike other PROs like ASCAP and BMI, SESAC operates as a for-profit company, which allows them to be selective with their clients and provide more tailored services to the artists they represent. Their roster includes world-famous names like Adele, Bob Dylan, and Ariana Grande, making them a significant player in the music industry.

Why Are Songs Blocked on YouTube?

The current dispute between SESAC and YouTube stems from a recently expired licensing agreement. According to YouTube, they attempted to negotiate in good faith with SESAC to renew their music licensing agreement. However, the two parties failed to reach an “equitable agreement” before the expiration date. As a result, several popular songs associated with SESAC have been blocked from YouTube in the United States.

When attempting to access certain videos, US users now see a black screen and a message that reads, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”

This situation is not unique, as there have been similar disputes between content platforms and rights organizations in the past. These disputes typically revolve around licensing fees, with rights holders pressing for greater royalty payments for their artists.

The Impact on Music Fans

For millions of music fans across the US, this SESAC dispute has become a major inconvenience. Popular songs such as Adele’s “Someone Like You” and Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” are currently unavailable on YouTube, a platform that many rely on for music streaming.

The removal of such iconic tracks has caused widespread disappointment, especially on social media platforms such as X (formerly known as Twitter). Fans have expressed their displeasure not only at the blocked content but also at the uncertainty of how long the dispute will last.

Historically, disputes like this can take weeks or even months to resolve. In 2008, a similar standoff between Warner Music Group and YouTube led to music videos being removed from the platform for up to a year. Music fans are hoping the SESAC dispute doesn’t follow the same long timeline.

How Does This Affect Artists?

The SESAC-YouTube dispute impacts not just fans, but artists as well. YouTube is a vital platform for musicians to reach their audiences, especially in the digital age. With billions of users worldwide, the site serves as an essential tool for exposure, brand-building, and revenue generation through ads and streams.

When music is taken off YouTube, artists lose one of their most important distribution channels. While other streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are unaffected, YouTube’s massive user base means artists could lose millions of potential listeners during the dispute.

For independent artists or smaller artists represented by SESAC, the financial and promotional consequences could be even greater. Losing access to a large platform like YouTube could lead to reduced visibility and make it harder for these artists to grow their fan base.

Will This Get Resolved?

There’s a big question on everyone’s mind: When will this be resolved? According to YouTube, discussions with SESAC are ongoing. “We’re hoping to reach a new deal as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for the video-sharing giant said. However, there’s no concrete timeline for when an agreement could be reached.

For music fans, this means a period of uncertainty. It’s unclear how long the affected songs will remain blocked, or if there will be any further disruptions to YouTube’s music library. Historically, these types of disputes have lasted anywhere from a few days to several months.

The pressure is on for both sides to reach an agreement soon. YouTube wants to retain its massive music library to maintain its competitive edge, while SESAC and its artists want to ensure they receive fair compensation for the use of their intellectual property.

What Can Music Fans Do?

For now, U.S. music fans can still access their favorite songs through other streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, all of which are unaffected by the SESAC dispute. Those seeking video content may have to turn to other social media platforms, though none are as comprehensive as YouTube in terms of music video availability.

In the meantime, it’s a waiting game. Fans can monitor updates from both YouTube and SESAC as negotiations continue behind closed doors. If history is any guide, an agreement is likely to be reached eventually, though it’s anyone’s guess how long that will take.

The Future of SESAC and YouTube

The SESAC dispute with YouTube highlights the complex nature of licensing agreements in the digital age. As platforms grow and evolve, so do the challenges of fairly compensating the artists whose work forms the backbone of these services.

For now, the best-case scenario is that YouTube and SESAC reach an agreement as quickly as possible. With SESAC’s impressive list of artists and YouTube’s unrivalled reach, both parties have much to gain by resolving the issue quickly. However, until that happens, fans and artists alike will have to deal with the repercussions of blocked content.

For music fans and industry insiders in the US, this dispute is a reminder of how important intellectual property laws and licensing agreements are to the entertainment ecosystem. As platforms like YouTube continue to dominate the digital landscape, the role of organisations like SESAC in protecting artists’ rights will become even more important.