YouTube announced on Tuesday that it is bringing back music by artists such as Adele, Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar and others to US users, days after they were removed from the video streaming platform due to a legal rights dispute. It claims to have reached an agreement with a for-profit performing rights organization, the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC), which collects and distributes royalties to songwriters, composers and music publishers.

YouTube is bringing back songs

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), YouTube says it has reached an agreement with SESAC. Content from the organization’s artist catalog that was previously blocked will be restored to the video-streaming platform over the next few days.

On Saturday, YouTube announced that it had been unable to reach an agreement with the for-profit organization for performance rights “despite its best efforts.” Thus, music by artists such as Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Mariah Carey and REM is blocked for users in the US, in accordance with copyright law. When trying to play the songs, users faced the following error message, “This video contains content from SESAC. Not available in your country.”

Despite this, media reports suggest that YouTube actually removed the content before the contract was set to expire next week, perhaps as a negotiating tactic of sorts.

After the music was removed, users flocked to social media platforms such as X to complain about the issue. While several complained that YouTube was destroying their playlists due to the removal of songs, others threatened to cancel their premium subscriptions. The user even asked for a refund or compensation, but was met with disappointment.

YouTube said at the time that discussions on the matter were continuing in hopes of reaching an agreement, and the latest announcement brings good news as music from the aforementioned artists will soon be back.