For composers · evidence capture
Documenting a suspected music use
Record what you can observe, where you found it and what remains unknown. A dated, well-labelled record makes a later rights review easier to follow.
Capture the source and the moment
- Save the exact public page URL, platform, displayed title, uploader or account name, and any visible content ID. Note the date and time you found it, including your time zone.
- Record the relevant playback timestamp or passage and what you heard. Where lawful and permitted by the platform, keep a dated screenshot or short screen recording of the page and context. Retain the original capture and label any later excerpt or annotation as a copy.
- Write down the track you believe is involved, including its title, version and recording or composition details you can confirm. Note whether the material seems to be the same recording, a cover, a remix, a sample or something you cannot yet identify.
Separate observations from questions
Keep a short note with three labels: observed for what the page or audio shows, source for where a statement came from, and unknown for anything you have not confirmed. For example, a missing credit on the page is an observation; it does not by itself establish what permission exists.
Check your own records for the relevant composition and sound recording, co-writers, publisher, label, sample or other rights-holder. If you find a licence or permission, save its exact URL or document, version or terms, date accessed, attribution shown and any conditions. If you do not find one, record “not found in the sources checked” rather than concluding that no permission exists.
Check the permission context
For SoundCloud, its help pages distinguish among remixes, covers and DJ mixes, and explain that a Creative Commons label on a mix does not replace permission for other people’s tracks. Read the guidance that fits the observed use, then record the source and terms you checked:
Keep the record reviewable
Give each file a clear name, keep the capture date in your notes, and add a brief log entry when you check a new source or receive a response. Update the record when facts change; keep earlier captures so the timeline stays clear. Do not turn an uncertain match into an accusation. For a printable set of prompts, use the public potential-use checklist.