YouTube Says It Has Licensing Deal With SESAC to Restore Songs in U.S.

YouTube said it reached a deal with performing rights organization SESAC on new licensing terms, which will restore music videos for artists that went dark on the video platform over the weekend.

Songs by Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, R.E.M., Burna Boy, Rush and other artists were blocked on Saturday on YouTube in the U.S. due to the dispute between YouTube and SESAC, which represents 30,000 members and 1.5 million compositions (and is smaller than ASCAP or BMI). YouTube said the songs that had been blocked for U.S. users will be restored in the next day or two. SESAC and YouTube have agreed in principle to the new licensing terms but at press time the deal had not been officially signed.

“We’re pleased that SESAC reconsidered our offer. We’ve reached a deal and content will come back up shortly. We appreciate everyone’s patience during this time,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement to Variety. 

The TeamYouTube account on X shared the following message: “If you’re in the United States ➡️ we’re happy to share that YouTube has reached a deal with SESAC. Content (that was previously blocked) will be restored across YouTube services over the next day or two. We appreciate all your patience.”

SESAC and other performing rights organizations collect royalties and help protect copyrights on behalf of songwriters and music publishers. They have the ability to block certain public performances of music, including on streaming services like YouTube, if licensing agreements have expired.

More to come.