In the past couple days, top-performing music videos are disappearing from YouTube. These videos have suddenly have been replaced with a black error message. This is happening due to a PRO (Performing Rights Organization) known as SESAC changing its rules for music licensing outside of Europe. Here is the latest news about SESAC’s rules and how they affect music artists on YouTube.
PROs in the Industry
SESAC stands for Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, and they’re one of many organizations worldwide that help artists get the royalties they deserve when their music is played. Any artist who wants to make money from streaming has to belong to one of these organizations, aptly named PROs, or Performing Rights Organizations. In the United States, popular options are BMI, ASCAP, and despite the name, SESAC. Other countries have unique PROs that operate on their native artists’ behalf.
While PROs like SESAC keep their artists’ copyrights and royalties in check, there are some downsides. Since the music is licensed through these organizations, they essentially have free reign to do whatever they want with those licenses. Furthermore, SESAC has barred their licenses from being used via YouTube in the United States. That means bands like Nirvana, founded in the US, are now unavailable to hear in their home country.
The Impact
Aside from being a major inconvenience to folks who use YouTube as their primary music streaming service, these licensing battles also affect the artists. Maybe missing a few streams overseas wouldn’t hurt an A-lister like Adele, but indie artists who’ve chosen to go with SESAC as their PRO are likely suffering for the company’s actions. As mentioned with Nirvana earlier, artists from the United States are allowed to sign up for SESAC. If those artists can’t be heard in their own country, it puts them at a serious disadvantage.
Many small musicians who aren’t signed to a record label collect their royalties as money to live on. Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services aren’t off the table, but if most of an artist’s audience comes from YouTube, it’s easy to see how this could be devastating. YouTube currently houses 239 million monthly visitors from the US alone. Taking that potential viewer base away from artists sounds restrictive.
This doesn’t affect any particular artist, either. This is legitimately anyone who has signed up to use SESAC as their PRO. The 2013 trend hit that swathes of people took to YouTube for, “Harlem Shake” by 24 Hour Party Project was blocked in the US by SESAC. That means every single “Harlem Shake” meme video made in the 2010s is also silenced. Of course, there is some discourse. Some studio recordings are blocked while live performances and music video versions are not. Regardless, it’s safe to say that no one was prepared to navigate through this.
In Conclusion
The blocking of SESAC’s music licenses in the US seems like an uphill battle for artists and listeners, but it isn’t all bleak. YouTube responded to the fiasco, stating that the music will be restored. By the looks of it, some of it already has. It appears the blocked songs result from SESAC’s agreement with YouTube needing to be renewed. With the two companies negotiating, listeners will likely have their favorite tunes back and royalties restored for the artists very soon.
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