What to Do If Someone Steals Your Music
23 March 2025
Finding out that someone has used your song, beat, or lyrics without permission is gutting — especially if it's already racking up streams or views under someone else's name. The good news is that there's a clear, practical path to resolving it. Here's exactly what to do, step by step.
Step 1: Don't Panic — Gather Evidence First
Before sending a single message, collect everything that proves the work is yours and when you created it. This includes original project files, voice memos, demo recordings, drafts, emails to collaborators, and — most importantly — any timestamped certificate you generated before releasing the work.
If you don't already have a timestamped record, this is also the moment to get one for the original file, so you have an independently verifiable date to point to.
Step 2: Document the Infringement
Take screenshots of the infringing post, video, or upload, including the URL, the date it was posted, and any view/stream counts. Download a copy of the infringing file if possible. Platforms remove content quickly once a complaint is filed, so capture this evidence before it disappears.
Step 3: Compare the Two Works Side by Side
Be specific about what was copied — the melody, the lyrics, a sample, the beat, or the recording itself. The clearer you can articulate the overlap, the stronger your case when you raise it with the platform or the other party.
Step 4: Reach Out Directly (If It Feels Safe To)
Sometimes a direct, polite message resolves things quickly — particularly with sampling or uncredited collaboration disputes, which are covered in more depth in our guide to sampling and copyright. Not every situation calls for this step, especially if the infringement is blatant or commercial, but it's often the fastest route to a credit fix or takedown without escalating.
Step 5: File a Takedown Notice
If direct contact doesn't work, or isn't appropriate, file a formal takedown request with the platform hosting the infringing content. Most major platforms (YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, SoundCloud) have a copyright complaint process built around the DMCA framework. You'll typically need to confirm you own the work, identify the infringing content, and provide your contact details. We cover this process in full in our guide to DMCA takedowns for musicians.
Step 6: Consider Registration or Legal Advice for Serious Cases
For commercial infringement, or cases involving significant money or repeated theft, it may be worth registering the work formally with your national copyright office and consulting an entertainment lawyer. A timestamped certificate plus a registration gives you the strongest possible footing if the dispute escalates to legal action.
Step 7: Prevent It Happening Again
Make timestamping a habit for every new song, beat, or lyric sheet before you share it — pitching to labels, posting previews, or sending demos to collaborators. It's the single easiest way to make sure that if this happens again, you can prove your case in minutes rather than scrambling for evidence after the fact.
Why Timestamped Proof Matters
Platforms and courts both want the same thing: clear evidence of who created a work, and when. A timestamped certificate generated before you released your work — created by hashing the file and recording the exact date and time — gives you exactly that, independent of any platform's own records.
Register with Copyright Solved now to start your protection journey.