In today’s digital landscape, music piracy and theft are unfortunate realities that many musicians and producers face. Whether it’s people ripping your tracks off streaming platforms or distribution companies illegally selling your music, music theft is pervasive. Having recently experienced this firsthand, I wanted to share some steps you can take when you discover your music is being stolen.
Different Types of Music Theft
There are generally two types of theft musicians encounter:
Casual Theft: When individuals rip your music off platforms like YouTube or SoundCloud. These are usually non-commercial uses where fans might download your track without realizing the consequences.
Distribution Theft: This is more serious and occurs when companies steal your tracks, sell them on their platforms, and profit off your work without your permission.
Option 1: Turn Theft into a Marketing Opportunity
If your music is being ripped for non-commercial uses, you might consider leveraging the theft as a promotional tool through Creative Commons Licensing. This allows others to use your music for free, but under certain conditions like attribution and non-commercial use. For instance, this could lead to your music being shared more widely, giving you additional exposure.
If you’re not comfortable with Creative Commons Licensing, you can make it harder for people to rip your music by adding an audio watermark. Watermarking involves embedding short audio messages such as “Preview” or “Demo” into your track, which repeats every few seconds. This is a common practice in music publishing to prevent unauthorized use.
- Tool recommendation: The AG Audio Watermark Generator allows you to easily add a watermark to your tracks, saving you hours of manually editing. At $10 (or $8 with a discount code), it’s an affordable and effective tool.
Option 2: Protecting Your Music with Digital Fingerprinting
Another layer of protection is digital fingerprinting, which flags unauthorized use of your music across platforms like YouTube. Companies like AdRev offer digital fingerprinting services that track your music online, flagging it whenever it is used without a proper license. In cases where someone uses your track without permission, you can actually earn ad revenue every time the video containing your music is played.
One caution with fingerprinting: Some music publishers may be hesitant to work with artists whose tracks have been fingerprinted, as it could lead to complications with their own licensing deals.
Option 3: Handling Larger-Scale Distribution Theft
Distribution theft can be far more complex and damaging. This occurs when fake companies steal your music in bulk and distribute it without your permission, often selling it cheaply and profiting from licensing deals. When you discover your music being illegally sold on these sites, stay calm and follow these steps:
Document everything: Take screenshots of your music being sold or used on the unauthorized platform. These could be crucial if legal action becomes necessary.
Check with your publisher: Before assuming the worst, check with your music publishers to confirm whether they’ve signed any new distribution deals that you weren’t aware of. It’s possible that your music is legitimately being used as part of a deal.
Contact the website owner: If you confirm that your music is being stolen, email the site owner or distributor and politely inform them that they are using your music illegally. Sometimes it’s a misunderstanding, and the site will remove your tracks without a fight.
Send a DMCA Takedown Notice: If the site refuses to take down your music, the next step is to send them a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown notice. There are several tools online that help you generate DMCA notices, but keep copies of everything in case you need it for future legal proceedings.
Consult a lawyer: If they still refuse to comply, it’s time to escalate by consulting a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property and copyright law. You can also contact your Performance Rights Organization (PRO) to notify them of the situation.
What to Avoid When Your Music is Stolen
Although it's tempting to fire off a heated email, especially if you’re frustrated by the theft, try to remain professional in all your communications. Being calm and documenting your efforts will serve you better in the long run, particularly if legal action becomes necessary.
Protecting Your Music from Future Theft
While you can’t eliminate the risk of music theft, you can reduce it by employing these strategies:
- Watermark your tracks for added security.
- Use digital fingerprinting through companies like AdRev.
- Regularly monitor your music’s presence online through search engines and social media.
Ultimately, it’s important to recognize that theft happens, and you can take steps to minimize the impact and reclaim control over your music.
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