Over the weekend, hundreds of songs from popular artists including Adele, Burna Boy, J. Cole, and many, many more, were removed from YouTube, sparking confusion among fans. One song in particular, J. Cole’s “She Knows,” from his 2013 album Born Sinner, has prompted certain conspiracy-minded hip-hop fans to propagate a rumor speculating a connection between Diddy and Jay-Z based on Diddy’s indictment for unsavory sex crimes.
However, there’s a much simpler explanation for the song’s removal, as well as the others’ — which I’m sure will be to those fans’ disappointment. Per Variety, all of the songs were removed due to a legal dispute between YouTube and SESAC, the performance-rights organization that oversees the catalogs of more than 30,000 songwriters in the US.
Founded in 1930 as the now somewhat inaccurate Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, SESAC advocates on behalf of its members to ensure royalties are paid fairly and timely. Rather than risk a lawsuit from SESAC, YouTube has disabled the affected videos until a new agreement can be reached. YouTube told Variety in a press statement:
We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration. 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.
Meanwhile, Variety sources report that the deal doesn’t technically expire for a week, suggesting YouTube may be using the disruption as a negotiating tactic. SESAC represents far fewer artists than ASCAP or BMI, but due to the stature of the artists involved — including the names above and others, like Bob Dylan, Green Day, Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey, and Neil Diamond — the potential lost income for both companies could be staggering. A similar situation between TikTok and UMG was solved in relatively short order after both companies balked at such losses, so don’t expect this situation to continue for too much longer, either. As for those rumors, remember to check your sources — some guy paying Elon $8 bucks a month to force you to see their terrible takes probably doesn’t pass muster.
For more information on the SESAC dispute and the J. Cole rumor, check out Rob Markman’s report below.