YouTube is blocking some songs from popular artists a week before a licensing contract expires. This could be a negotiation tactic, a new report suggests.

YouTube reached a deal with SESAC on new licensing terms to restore music videos for artists that went dark over the weekend.

The blocks didn't affect all of these artists songs, but when users clicked to listen to some of them — like "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele — they instead were met with a message that reads, "This video contains content from SESAC.