YouTube Removes Iconic Music Videos by Adele, Nirvana, and More Amid Copyright Negotiations

YouTube has removed iconic music videos like Adele’s “Hello” and many others as the platform is embroiled in a copyright dispute with the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC).

The publishing deal between SESAC and YouTube has expired, according to a report from Rolling Stone, and a huge swath of videos are being impacted. Artists like Adele, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Kendrick Lamar, and Mariah Carey were affected, as well as hundreds of others.

“We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal,” said a YouTube spokesperson, per a report from Variety. “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration.”

The statement continued, “We take copyright very seriously and as a result, content represented by SESAC is no longer available on YouTube in the US. We are in active conversations with SESAC and are hoping to reach a new deal as soon as possible.”

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Music Videos Vanish from YouTube As Negotiations Stall with SESAC

Nirvana’s YouTube channel has apparently been impacted the most, with every official music video vanished from the platform. Only the band’s MTV Unplugged videos remain. Additionally, every Adele music video prior to her recent album, 30, has ben scrubbed as well.

Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” has been listed as “unavailable.” Some videos remain searchable, but unplayable. When one of those videos is clicked on, they are overlaid with the disclaimer, “Video unavailable. This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”

For many artists, only unofficial uploads of music videos and clips remain as YouTube and SESAC iron out the kinks of their agreement. Additionally, live versions of their songs remain. As far as copyright goes for live performances, there’s a loophole in the U.S. that allows live performances to be free of copyright infringement. Royalties do not need to be paid to artists or songwriters for a live recording.

This is called “neighboring rights” or “related rights.” When a song is played live, royalties are usually due to the artist and label who recorded it. However, the U.S. does not recognize neighboring rights. Therefore, live performances are not copyright protected.

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