Songs Pulled from YouTube Over SESAC Content — Here's What That Means

The way musicians create and get paid for their music has changed drastically from the days of CDs (remember those?). With online streaming now the main source of income for musicians, aside from selling merch, it's crucial for them to be fairly compensated when their music is used on platforms, TV shows, and movies. That’s where the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC) steps in.

Founded in 1931 by Paul Heinecke, SESAC is a performing rights organization that represents over 15,000 publishers and affiliates and manages a catalog of more than 1.5 million songs, according to the company's website. SESAC oversees contracts between musicians and platforms to ensure artists are compensated for their work, though there’s debate about whether these deals are fair.

Now that you know what SESAC is, you’re likely wondering why it's causing music to be pulled from YouTube.

SESAC works with platforms like YouTube to allow artists' music to be streamed. When these deals are successful, the music remains available. However, if loose ends remain or no agreement is reached, the music gets pulled. This seemed to be the case at the end of September 2024, when music from artists like Adele and Green Day was removed from the platform. Affected videos displayed the message: "This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country."

A YouTube representative shared a statement with Variety, saying: “We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration. We take copyright very seriously and as a result, content represented by SESAC is no longer available on YouTube in the U.S."

Despite the setback, the rep added, "We are in active conversations with SESAC and are hoping to reach a new deal as soon as possible." If a new agreement is reached, the music you've been eagerly trying to stream on YouTube should be back up and running.

SESAC holds licensing rights to numerous songs by artists like Neil Diamond, Jack Harlow, Ariana Grande, Hillary Scott of Lady A, Blanco Brown, and others mentioned above. It also represents music on hit shows like Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Dateline NBC, Seinfeld, and Dr. Phil. Needless to say, the company has a strong grip on music rights, and without a signed contract supporting their stipulations, certain music won’t be available for streaming or inclusion in various TV shows.

With music being pulled from YouTube in the U.S., many are concerned that SESAC is not allowed in the country. However, that’s not the case. YouTube cannot stream music or videos without permission from the licensing organization or overseer. Since its contract with SESAC expired and wasn’t renewed in time for music to continue streaming, it created a hiccup in the system. This situation has nothing to do with SESAC being banned in the U.S.