Songs by popular artists are starting to disappear from YouTube as the platform’s contract with performing rights group SESAC approaches. Variety reported that while certain songs by artists such as Adele, Green Day, Bob Dylan, REM, and Burna Boy have been blocked in the US, their entire catalogs are not necessarily affected. Deleted videos, such as Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” now display a black screen saying “This video contains content from SESAC. It’s not available in your country.”
In a statement to Engadget, a YouTube spokesperson said the platform had been negotiating with SESAC to renew its contract, but that “despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach a fair agreement before the contract expires.” I couldn’t reach it.” Because we take copyright very seriously, content represented by SESAC is no longer available on YouTube in the United States. We are in active discussions with SESAC and hope to reach a new agreement as soon as possible. ” However, the move on YouTube’s part could be a negotiation tactic, as the contract hasn’t even expired yet and is reportedly set to end sometime next week, according to a source who spoke to Variety. SESAC has not yet issued a statement.
