How to Check a Song for Copyright A Creator's Guide

Yaro

21/02/2026 8:43 AM

When you're trying to figure out if you can use a song, your fastest and safest bet is to start with public domain archives and Creative Commons libraries. These are your go-to spots for music that's already been cleared for certain uses, which can save you a mountain of headaches and legal research. Think of it as the express lane for finding usable tracks.

Your First Steps in Copyright Verification

Before you get too attached to a piece of music for your project, a quick preliminary copyright check is an absolute must. Seriously, don't skip this. It's the one thing that can stand between a smooth creative flow and a future filled with takedown notices, muted videos, or even nasty legal claims.

The goal here isn't just about dodging trouble—it's about working smarter. When you can quickly identify the music you can use, you save yourself a ton of time and creative energy.

The best place to begin is with music that's been deliberately made available for anyone to use. This is the low-hanging fruit of the copyright-free world, and it usually requires the least amount of digging to verify.

Explore the Public Domain

When a song's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. This means it's free for anyone to use, for any purpose, without permission or payment. In the United States, this generally covers any musical compositions published in 1928 or earlier.

A good starting point is a trusted archive. Websites like the Public Domain Information Project and Musopen are fantastic because they specialize in cataloging music that's out of copyright.

But here's a common trap to watch out for: while a composition (the sheet music and lyrics) might be in the public domain, a specific modern recording of that same song is almost certainly copyrighted. You always need to check the status of both the composition and the sound recording you want to use.

Use Creative Commons Filters

Creative Commons (CC) is a flexible licensing system that sits somewhere between "all rights reserved" and the public domain. Creators can use CC licenses to grant specific permissions for their work, which is great for people like us. Lots of platforms have built-in filters to help you find CC-licensed tracks.

• YouTube Audio Library: This is a goldmine inside YouTube Studio. It’s packed with music and sound effects that are totally free to use in your YouTube videos.
• SoundCloud: When you search, you can filter the results by license type. Just look for tracks with CC licenses that allow for commercial use or modifications, depending on what your project needs.
• Vimeo Music Store: Another great option that offers a curated selection of tracks with super clear licensing info, perfect for video projects.

This flowchart gives you a bird's-eye view of the process, from the easy first checks to the more involved steps.

As you can see, you always want to start by looking for music that's explicitly free to use before you dive into the deeper, more complicated verification methods.

Key Takeaway: Always, always read the fine print on a Creative Commons license. Some require you to credit the original artist (CC BY), while others might forbid commercial use (CC NC) or prevent you from making changes (CC ND).

Getting these initial checks down is fundamental. If you want to build a solid library of go-to resources for your projects, it's worth learning more about how to find copyright-free music. Nailing this foundational knowledge will make every future project that much easier.

Digging into PRO Databases to Uncover Music Rights

When you venture beyond the clear-cut worlds of public domain or Creative Commons music, things get a bit more complex. If you've set your sights on a commercially released track, your research needs to go deeper. This is where you have to go straight to the source: the databases of Performance Rights Organizations, or PROs.

Think of organizations like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC in the United States as the official record-keepers for music compositions. Their main gig is collecting licensing fees for songwriters and publishers whenever their music gets played publicly—on the radio, in TV shows, at your local restaurant, you name it.

Luckily for creators like us, their massive databases are often publicly searchable. This transforms them from mysterious industry giants into powerful tools you can use to check a song for copyright information. No more guessing who owns a song; you can look it up in the official ledger.

How to Navigate a PRO Database

Let's run through a real-world scenario. Say you heard an indie pop song in a coffee shop that would be perfect for your next promotional video. A quick Shazam search tells you it's "City Lights" by an artist called "The Wanderers." Now what?

Your first move is to head over to the repertoire search pages of the major PROs.

• ASCAP's Repertory Search: This is one of the most comprehensive catalogs out there.
• BMI's Repertoire Search: Another industry heavyweight with a pretty user-friendly search.
• SESAC's Repertory: It's smaller, but it represents a ton of prominent artists, making it a critical stop in any thorough search.

Each of their websites has a search tool. You’ll plug in the song title ("City Lights") and the performer's name ("The Wanderers"). The database will then spit back any matches, giving you the critical details about who actually owns the rights to the song's composition.

Pro Tip: If a search for the artist's name comes up empty, don't give up. Try searching by the song title alone. The songwriter might be listed under their legal name, not the stage name you're familiar with.

To help you get started, here's a quick rundown of what each major US-based PRO database offers.

Major Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) Search Portfolios

This table gives you a quick look at the databases of the top three US-based PROs, so you know what you're looking for and where to find it.

These databases are your best bet for finding the official ownership information you need to proceed with any licensing request.

Interpreting the Search Results

Once you get a match, you'll see a list of names and maybe even some percentages. This is the treasure map you've been looking for. Pay close attention to two key roles: the "Writers" and the "Publishers."

• Writers: These are the people who actually created the song—the composers and lyricists. They hold the original copyright to the musical composition.
• Publishers: These are the companies that represent the writers. They're in charge of administering the copyright, which includes everything from issuing licenses to collecting royalties.

For your purposes, the publisher is almost always who you need to contact. They are the gatekeepers who have the authority to grant you permission to use the song. The database will give you the publisher's name and, if you're lucky, their contact information.

This distinction is crucial. You can’t get permission if you don’t know who to ask. And with the global music copyright market hitting a staggering $45.5 billion USD in 2023—a figure that has nearly doubled since 2014—it's clear why PROs are so meticulous. You can dive deeper into these numbers by reading the full report on music copyright value.

Getting comfortable with these official databases is a total game-changer. It removes the guesswork and gives you a clear, professional path to finding the right people who can say "yes" to your request. It doesn't mean you'll always get permission, but it's the only correct way to start the licensing journey for a commercial track.

Using Tech to Speed Up Copyright Checks

While digging through databases is a core skill, let's be real: technology gives us some powerful shortcuts for checking a song's copyright status. These tools are perfect for a quick first pass, helping you weed out protected tracks before you sink too much time into research. Think of it as your first line of defense.

One of the smartest moves you can make is turning YouTube’s own Content ID system into your personal copyright checker. It’s a bit of an insider trick, but it can save you a ton of headaches.

The method is dead simple. Just create a throwaway video with the song you want to test. It doesn't need to be anything special. Upload it to your YouTube channel, but—and this is the most important part—set the visibility to Private. This keeps it completely off the public radar.

Once your video is up, YouTube’s Content ID system gets to work, automatically scanning the audio. If the song is in its massive database, you'll usually get an automated copyright claim within minutes. This isn't a penalty or a strike; it's just a heads-up. The claim will tell you who owns the rights and what the rules are (like no monetization).

A Creator's Reality Check
Seeing that Content ID claim pop up on your private video is the clearest signal you'll get that a song is off-limits without a license. It’s proof that the track is being actively monitored, and using it publicly will almost certainly get your video flagged, demonetized, or taken down.

This pre-screening technique is a game-changer. It’s always better to get a quiet notification on a private video than a public penalty on your channel. You can learn more about navigating these waters and keeping your channel safe by reading up on how to avoid copyright strikes on YouTube.

Audio Recognition and Hidden Clues in Metadata

Before you even think about uploading, there are other tools at your fingertips. You've probably used an app like Shazam or SoundHound to figure out what song is playing at a coffee shop. Well, these same apps are a fantastic starting point for your copyright investigation.

Once you identify the track's title and artist, you have the exact keywords you need to dive into the PRO databases we talked about earlier. It closes the loop between hearing a song you love and knowing what to search for.

On top of that, many audio files have hidden bits of information called metadata, which can hold valuable copyright clues. Using a free online metadata viewer, you can inspect the file for fields like:

• Copyright: This might directly name the copyright owner and the year.
• Publisher: The music publisher could be listed right there.
• Composer: This tells you who originally wrote the music.

It's not always filled out, and sometimes it's inaccurate, but checking the metadata is a quick, no-cost step that can occasionally give you a massive lead.

The Growth of Automated Detection

Beyond these manual tricks, more advanced tools are popping up that use AI to spot potential copyright problems. Getting familiar with your ultimate guide to AI song detector technology can show you how these automated systems work. They analyze the audio itself, comparing its unique waveform against giant databases to flag anything that looks like a match.

This tech makes it harder than ever to get away with using music you don't have the rights to. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped music piracy. A surprising 29% of online music consumers worldwide are still infringing on copyright. The most common method? Stream-ripping, which 26% of consumers admit to doing.

In the end, these tech-based shortcuts aren't a substitute for getting a proper license. But for any creator today, they're essential tools. They help you quickly disqualify protected songs, find ownership details, and make smarter choices right from the start.

Distinguishing Between Master and Publishing Rights

When you're trying to figure out if a song is copyrighted, one of the biggest—and most expensive—mistakes is thinking you only need one "yes." The reality is, every single recorded song is a two-for-one deal. It comes bundled with two separate copyrights, and you absolutely need a license for both.

Getting this right is non-negotiable for any creator who wants to use music without getting hit with a copyright claim.

The two pieces of this puzzle are the master rights and the publishing rights. A good way to think about it is like a cake. The recipe is one part, and the actual, finished cake you can eat is another. You can't have the cake without the recipe, but they are completely different things.

Breaking Down Publishing Rights

Publishing rights cover the song's underlying musical composition. We're talking about the melody, the lyrics, the chord progression—the essential blueprint of the song. These rights belong to the songwriter(s) and are usually handled by their music publisher.

So, when you were digging through PRO databases like ASCAP or BMI earlier, you were actually tracking down the owners of these publishing rights. Getting a license from them gives you permission to use the song itself.

Understanding Master Rights

Master rights, on the other hand, are all about a specific sound recording of that song. This is the actual audio file you hear, the "master" track. These rights are almost always owned by whoever paid for the recording session, which in most cases is a record label.

However, for independent artists who fund their own recordings, the artist often owns their master rights directly.

This is where so many creators get tripped up. They might get the green light from the songwriter's publisher but then use a famous recording of that song without ever talking to the record label. That’s a one-way ticket to a copyright strike.

A perfect real-world example is a cover song. When a new artist records their own version of an existing song:

• The original songwriter's publisher still owns the publishing rights to the composition.
• The new artist's record label (or the artist themselves) owns the master rights to their specific new recording.

Key Insight: Never, ever assume that getting permission from one rights holder means you're covered for both. They are almost always separate negotiations with different people, and each one requires its own license and its own fee.

Master Rights vs. Publishing Rights A Creator's Guide

To make this crystal clear, this table breaks down the two types of music copyright. It's a quick reference guide to help you understand who owns what and what each right actually covers.

This dual-right system is exactly why clearing music for your content can feel so complicated. You essentially have to go through the entire licensing process twice for a single track. First, you negotiate with the publisher for the composition, and then you have to do it all over again with the record label for the recording.

If you don't successfully secure both licenses, you simply don't have legal permission to use the music.

The Simplified Path to Legal Music with LesFM

Let’s be real. After digging through PRO databases and trying to wrap your head around master vs. publishing rights, the whole process to check a song for copyright can feel like a full-time job. It's a maze of legal jargon that eats up time and creative energy.

But what if there was a more direct route?

This is where royalty-free music platforms step in. Think of them as your creative partner, completely taking the guesswork out of the equation. Instead of spending hours tracking down publishers and record labels, you get instant access to a massive library of high-quality, pre-cleared music.

Platforms like LesFM were built to solve this exact problem. Every single track in the catalog is already licensed for a huge range of uses, from your personal YouTube channel to a big-budget commercial. That means the entire rights-clearance headache just disappears.

How Royalty-Free Music Changes the Game

The biggest win here is simplicity. You find a track you love, pick a license or subscription that fits what you're doing, and that's it. You're done. You get a license certificate that serves as proof of legal use, shielding your content from those dreaded copyright claims.

This model is also a powerful counter to music piracy. The difficulty of finding and licensing music legally pushes many creators, especially younger ones, toward infringement. In fact, research shows that a staggering 40-43% of people aged 16-24 have engaged in it. This isn't a small problem—it costs the U.S. economy $12.5 billion every year. By using a legitimate service, you're not just protecting your own work; you're supporting the artists who make the music.

The Creator's Advantage: Opting for a royalty-free platform isn't just about dodging legal bullets. It's a strategic move that frees up your creative bandwidth so you can get back to what you do best: storytelling, editing, and creating amazing content.

Finding the Right Fit for Your Projects

Every creator's needs are different, and a good platform gets that. LesFM offers different tiers designed for a spectrum of projects, so you only pay for the coverage you actually need.

• For Individual Creators: A personal plan typically covers monetization on one social media channel, which is perfect for most vloggers and streamers just starting out.
• For Freelancers and Businesses: A commercial license usually expands your usage rights to include client work, paid digital ads, and corporate videos.
• For Agencies and Production Houses: Enterprise-level options can provide sweeping coverage for multi-channel campaigns, broadcasting, and even television ads.

This kind of tiered structure gives you confidence that your license truly matches your project's scope. Whether you're trying to promote your music online or deliver a video to a major client, having that solid legal foundation is non-negotiable. A pre-cleared library helps you build that foundation right from the start.

Ultimately, platforms like LesFM provide a worry-free soundtrack solution. You can find unique, powerful music to elevate your content without ever having to decipher another PRO database or send a licensing email again. It's the smart, efficient way to get a legally sound and creatively awesome final product.

Common Questions About Music Copyright

Working with music copyright can feel like navigating a minefield, but a few core truths can clear up most of the confusion. Let's tackle some of the most common questions and myths that trip up creators.

Is It Legal to Use a Song if I Give Credit?

Nope. This is probably the biggest misconception out there. Simply crediting the artist is a nice thought, but it offers zero legal protection against copyright infringement.

Think of it like borrowing a car. You can tell everyone you borrowed it from your friend, but that doesn't matter if you never actually got their permission to take it for a spin. You still need the keys—and in the music world, a license is your set of keys. While some Creative Commons licenses do require attribution, that's a whole different system from traditional copyright.

What if I Only Use a Few Seconds of a Song?

This is another pervasive myth that gets creators into hot water. There's no magical "safe" duration—not 30 seconds, not 10 seconds, not even one second—that lets you use a copyrighted track for free. The idea of "fair use" is a complicated legal defense, not a right you can just claim. It's incredibly specific to the context and purpose of the use.

Relying on a specific time limit is one of the fastest ways to get a copyright claim. Courts have found that even a tiny, recognizable sample can be an infringement if it's considered the "heart" of the original song.

Can I Use Covers or Remixes Instead?

Using a cover or a remix often sounds like a clever workaround, but it usually just adds another layer of complexity. Don't forget, every piece of music has two main copyrights attached to it: the publishing rights (for the composition) and the master rights (for the specific recording).

• A cover song is a new recording, but it still uses the original songwriter's composition. To use it, you'd need permission from the publisher.
• A remix is what's called a derivative work. This means you need a green light from both the publisher who owns the composition and the record label that owns the original master recording.

Basically, covers and remixes are rarely a simple shortcut for someone looking to check a song for copyright and use it quickly.

Stop wasting time on complicated copyright checks and get back to what you do best: creating. With LesFM, you get instant access to a library of thousands of high-quality, pre-cleared tracks ready for any project. Find your perfect soundtrack, completely worry-free, at https://lesfm.net.

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