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On September 28, 2024, YouTube temporarily blocked some music videos and recordings in the United States after its licensing agreement with SESAC expired without a renewal deal. Viewers saw the message, “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.” YouTube and SESAC announced a new agreement on September 30, and YouTube began restoring the affected catalog. This was a short-lived, territory-specific licensing dispute—not an ongoing 2026 outage or a wave of channel strikes.
What happened in the SESAC dispute?
The block began around Saturday, September 28, 2024. YouTube said its SESAC music-license agreement had expired before the companies reached acceptable renewal terms. Because the unresolved rights applied to the United States, users there encountered unavailable videos while viewers in other countries could see different results.
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Reports identified affected material associated with Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Nirvana, Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey, R.E.M., Burna Boy, Jack Harlow, Ariana Grande, Neil Diamond, Rush, Alice in Chains, Fleetwood Mac, Britney Spears, J. Cole and YG. The list was representative, not exhaustive, and did not mean every recording by any one artist disappeared.
On September 30, YouTube and SESAC announced a new agreement. YouTube said it had started reinstating videos, although individual items could return at different times. The dispute should therefore be read as resolved historical news rather than evidence that these artists remain broadly blocked today.
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TechCrunch reported the initial blocking and YouTube’s statement, while Music Business Worldwide covered the agreement and restoration.
Which songs and artists were affected?
Contemporary reports cited examples including Adele’s “Someone Like You,” Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Bob Dylan recordings and R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.” Other reports named the artists below.
| Reported artist | Examples or scope |
|---|---|
| Adele | “Someone Like You” and other affected videos |
| Bob Dylan | Some recordings and videos |
| Green Day | “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and other videos |
| Nirvana | Some music videos |
| Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey and R.E.M. | Reported catalog items, including R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” |
| Burna Boy, Jack Harlow, Ariana Grande, Neil Diamond, Rush, Alice in Chains, Fleetwood Mac, Britney Spears, J. Cole and YG | Additional artists named in contemporary coverage |
The exact catalog varied by recording, upload and rights metadata. An official music video, live performance, lyric video, remix, cover or user upload could have a different rights status. TheWrap’s report and Music Business Worldwide’s account document the contemporary examples.
What is SESAC?
SESAC is a U.S. performing-rights organization. It licenses public-performance rights in musical compositions for affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers. It is not a record label that owns every affected artist’s recordings.
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A music use can involve several separate rights:
- Composition: the lyrics and underlying musical work.
- Master recording: a particular recorded performance, often controlled by a label or other owner.
- Audiovisual synchronization: the right to combine music with video.
- Public performance and platform exploitation: permissions needed to make the work available through a service.
YouTube explains that multiple rights holders can be involved in one upload in its music-rights documentation. Contemporary coverage described SESAC as representing tens of thousands of creators and licensing more than 1.5 million songs; those figures were reported by SESAC or news coverage and are not a count of the videos blocked on YouTube.
Why was the block limited to the United States?
Music licenses are commonly negotiated by territory. YouTube said the SESAC-associated material was unavailable in the United States, so a viewer’s country could determine whether the same link played. This is why “YouTube worldwide removed the artists” is inaccurate.
YouTube’s help page on contractual restrictions explains that videos may be unavailable in a particular territory because of platform obligations. A country block can coexist with availability elsewhere, and a paid subscription does not replace the missing territorial license.
Why did some versions remain playable?
The dispute did not produce a uniform artist-wide switch. Several explanations can apply, but the public reporting does not establish one technical reason for every exception:
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- A different recording or version may have different composition or master owners.
- An upload may be licensed through another rights holder.
- Only part of a work may be represented by SESAC.
- Official videos, live performances, lyric videos, remixes and fan uploads may carry different rights metadata.
- Restoration after September 30 could occur progressively rather than all at once.
Contemporary reporting specifically noted that playable videos could have been exempt or not yet matched to the dispute. A video appearing in search did not guarantee that playback would work in the United States.
Was this a copyright strike?
No. This was primarily a contractual, territory-specific availability block—not a finding that each uploader had infringed copyright.
Three different mechanisms
- Content ID claim: a rights holder identifies material and may monetize, track or block an individual video.
- Contractual catalog block: YouTube lacks the license to show particular content in a territory.
- Copyright strike: a formal enforcement action against a channel.
YouTube notes that contractual blocks can limit availability without penalizing an uploader and that ordinary appeal or counter-notification routes may not apply in the same way. The platform’s explanation is available at YouTube Help.
What happened in YouTube Music?
The interruption also affected YouTube Music. Reports described missing tracks and failed playback, while artist and album pages could remain visible. These states are different: a track might be absent from search, listed but unplayable, available outside the United States or restored later.
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9to5Google documented these YouTube Music symptoms. The page or album remaining online did not prove that every individual track still had a U.S. license.
What were YouTube and SESAC negotiating?
YouTube said it had negotiated in good faith but could not reach an equitable renewal agreement before the old deal expired. SESAC said the eventual agreement would compensate its songwriters and publishers equitably.
The public statements do not disclose the royalty rate, term, total payment or either side’s detailed bargaining position. It is therefore misleading to assign a specific financial dispute to the blackout.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What could viewers and creators do?
For viewers
- Check whether the notice names a rights claimant and says the video is unavailable in your country.
- Try the same official upload on another device only to rule out a local playback fault.
- Look for an official artist or label upload on another licensed service.
- Wait for the rights holder and platform to resolve the catalog issue.
Clearing cache, reinstalling the app or paying for YouTube Premium cannot create a license that YouTube does not hold. A VPN is not a reliable or rights-clearing solution and may conflict with platform terms.
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For creators
Covers, reaction videos, DJ mixes, performances and commentary can involve separate composition and recording rights. A fair-use argument does not automatically provide a platform license. In YouTube Studio, distinguish a Content ID claim from a contractual restriction before appealing; do not submit a counter-notification without a genuine legal basis and an understanding of its consequences.
Where could people listen during a future interruption?
Audio services and official artist channels can provide alternatives, but none guarantees the same video catalog or territory.
- YouTube Music or Premium: the closest fit for YouTube’s ecosystem, but Premium does not override a missing territorial license. Apple’s U.S. App Store listing showed in-app prices of $15.99 for YouTube Music and $20.99 for YouTube Premium when viewed in August 2026; web prices, taxes and regions can differ. See YouTube Music or the U.S. App Store listing.
- Spotify Premium: an audio-first alternative with playlists and offline listening. Its U.S. page listed Premium Individual at $12.99 per month after the introductory offer when viewed in August 2026. See Spotify’s U.S. plans.
- Purchased downloads or physical media: durable access to a particular recording, but not necessarily its music video or public-performance rights.
Why the episode matters
The SESAC episode shows that music availability depends on a web of composition, recording, synchronization, performance and territory licenses. A video can be visible, monetized, tracked, blocked in one country or removed entirely—each status reflects different rights and platform decisions. Most importantly, the September 2024 interruption ended with a new agreement; it was not a permanent removal of Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day or the other artists from YouTube.
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