Have you ever come across this message on Youtube?
“This video contains content From SME, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds”
It’s an issue many of us have faced.
And surprisingly, it can even happen on our own uploaded videos!
Turns out, this means the video you are trying to watch has a song that belongs to Sony Music and they have banned viewing it in your country.
This isn’t just a YouTube thing either – it can happen on any video-sharing platform.
In this quick post, I’ll break down why this error happens and share some quick tips on how to bypass it.
What Does “Video Contains Content From SME” Mean?
The abbreviation “SME” in this error message stands for “Sony Music Entertainment” – one of the biggest players in the music industry.
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What the error means is that the video you are trying to watch or upload contains music that legally belongs to Sony Music Entertainment, and they have blocked the video in your country.
The real reason behind that is they have determined that the music track(s) has been used in the video without proper licensing for it to be available in your country.
How To Fix This Error?
Unfortunately, there is no permanent fix for this because you cannot get copyrights.
However, there are a few ways you can work around this problem so that you can still view or upload the video despite it being blocked in your part of the world.
Here are the best ways to avoid “this video contains content from SME”:
1. Use A VPN Or A Proxy Server
One way to access stuff that’s geo-restricted due to SME content (or any other reason) is to use either a proxy server or a VPN (virtual private network).
Before you attempt to use either one, you need to know which countries the video in question is not restricted in.
You can find the countries where the video is blocked by using an online tool like WatanNetwork.
Once you know the countries the video is not restricted in, you can use a proxy or a VPN to appear as if you are accessing the video from one of them.
Using Proxies
If you choose to use a proxy, search online to find a reliable one located in a country where the video is not restricted.
Once you have picked a proxy server, you need to configure your browser or device to use it. How you do the configuration depends on the particular browser or the device you use to access the restricted video.
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After finishing the configuration, you should be able to access the video. YouTube will see that you are connecting from the proxy server’s location instead of your actual location.
This method can not be guaranteed to always work though, as YouTube might block known proxy IP addresses. It is also advisable to use a premium proxy server, as free ones will not always provide a secure and reliable connection.
Using VPNs
If you decide a VPN is the way to go, choose a good VPN service first. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access (PIA) are some of the popular ones.
After making your pick of the VPNs, you need to subscribe to their service, and then download and install their client or app on your device.
Then launch the VPN and log in with your credentials, and connect to a VPN server in a Country where the video is not restricted.
Try to choose one closer to your actual location to avoid connection speed problems.
Finally, access your video as you normally would. The video now be watchable, as the video-sharing platform’s server sees the request coming from a location set in the VPN instead of your real one.
2. Download The Video Using An Online Downloader
Another way to watch a geo-restricted video from YouTube or some other video sharing site to download it to your device and watch it offline.
You can do it easily with an online video downloader.
What you need to do first is to find a reliable tool, like SaveFrom.net, Video Download Helper,etc.
Then copy the video URL from YouTube or whatever other platform where your restricted video is hosted, and paste it on the input field of the online video downloader of your choice, and hit the “download” button after that.
You will now be asked to choose the format and resolution for the video to be downloaded in – select what specs you need it to be.
The video will start to download then, and you will be able to watch it once the download is complete.
A word of caution – always use a reputable tool for this, because there are a ton of downloaders out there that distribute viruses and all sorts of malware.
3. Change The Music
If it is a video that you have created and published that has been restricted, you can take it off the platform, and edit your original copy to remove any music tracks that Sony Music Entertainment holds the copyright to.
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After that, replace those tracks with music you have created yourself, or purchased usage rights to, or copyright free tracks. And reupload.
Quick Recap
The error message “This video contains content From SME” means the video has content owned by Sony Music Entertainment and is blocked in your country due to improper licensing.
To fix this issue, you can use a VPN or proxy to access the video virtually from a non-restricted country or download the video using an online video downloader to watch offline.
And if it is a video you created, remove the sound tracks owned by Sony Music and replace with your own or free content.
