See which music videos have suddenly returned to YouTube

Videos from acts represented by the SESAC performing rights organization are slowly returning to YouTube after signing a new contract.

The agreement follows days in which clips from Rush, Bob Dylan, REM, Nirvana and others suddenly became unavailable. Instead, viewers received an error message: “This video contains content from SESAC. It is not available in your country.”

“We have reached an agreement with YouTube to fairly compensate SESAC’s songwriters and publishers for the use of their music,” said SESAC President Scott Jungmichel in an official statement. “We appreciate the support and patience of our partners and artists.” Perform these songs.

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Jungmichel also confirmed that SESAC was not responsible for the missing videos. “During our negotiations with YouTube, our partners’ works were unilaterally removed from YouTube before the end of the contract on October 1, 2024,” said Jungmichel. “YouTube has started recording videos with these songs again.”

This process will obviously take some time. As of 11ET today, popular Rush videos like “Tom Sawyer” and “Limelight” were still unavailable in the US. Neither were Dylan’s “Jokerman” and “Sweetheart Like You” clips.

“Man on the Moon” was on REM’s official channel, but “Losing My Religion” and “Stand” were missing. Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was still blocked.

Founded in 1930, SESAC licenses approximately 1.5 million songs for public performance. More than 15,000 songwriters and music publishers are affiliated with the company, which has been owned by private equity firm Blackstone since 2017.

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