Have you recently tried to listen to one of your favorite artists and realized you can’t find it on YouTube? If so, you’re not alone. Since September 29, 2024, there has been a major issue with YouTube’s music library. For many users, the following error message appears when trying to access a particular song: “This video contains content from SESAC, which is not available in your country.”
This is due to a conflict between the European Society of Stage Writers and Composers (SESAC) and YouTube. SESAC and YouTube previously had a licensing agreement, but that agreement recently expired. Hearing this, someone might think, “Seems like there’s an easy solution.” Would you like to renew your license? ”
Actually, that’s the solution. However, this solution was not achieved in time, which led YouTube to block everything from SESAC in the US due to copyright laws. “Everything” is no exaggeration; all of SESAC’s music is blocked, including videos featuring that music.
This is a big deal because SESAC has a lot of influence in the music industry. According to their website, they have licensed “over 1.5 million songs from top-selling authors and composers.” This includes artists such as Adele and Green Day, who have been blocked by YouTube.
Fortunately, YouTube has signed a new licensing agreement with SESAC with undisclosed licensing terms. “We have reached an agreement with YouTube to fairly compensate SESAC’s songwriters and publishers for the use of their music,” SESAC Chairman Scott Jungmischell told Variety. On September 30th, X’s TeamYoutube account released a message. “The (previously blocked) content will be restored across YouTube services within the next day or two.” So don’t worry. Your favorite artists will be back on YouTube as if nothing happened.