How to audit your TikTok for copyright music (step by step)

Written by Jason Lee, Co-Founder · Reviewed by Hani Sedyono, Head of Operations & Legal · Reviewed October 18, 2026

Short answer

List every post from the last 90 days, write down the sound on each, identify anything that isn't from TikTok's Commercial Music Library or your own audio, then check creator and affiliate videos and anything you've boosted. Fix boosted posts first, then creator content, then organic posts. A small account takes an afternoon. Bigger accounts, and anything involving affiliates, take much longer by hand.

Why 90 days, and why now

Ninety days is a sensible first window. It covers most of what's still getting views and almost everything you're likely to still be boosting. Rights owners can look back further, so once you've cleaned up the last 90 days, work backwards.

The reason to do it now: brands sued over music have often had problems sitting in plain sight for months. Kroger, Quince, DSW and Crumbl all faced complaints listing posts that anyone could have checked. Use the lawsuit tracker to see the pattern.

What you need

Illustration: an audit spreadsheet with rows marked green, yellow and red PostSoundBoostedVerdict Mar 3 ReelCML: “Sunny Day”No Green Mar 9 creatororiginal sound (?)No Yellow Mar 14 SparkChart hit (sped up)Yes Red Mar 20 ReelVoiceover onlyNo Green
A plain spreadsheet is enough. The verdict column is what you'll act on.

Step by step

  1. List your own posts. Scroll your profile back 90 days and add every post to the sheet, including pinned and archived ones that are still visible. Note the sound name TikTok shows under each video.
  2. Sort the sounds into three groups. Commercial Music Library tracks and your own voiceover or recorded audio are usually fine. Named songs by known artists are the main risk. “Original sound” needs a listen, because it can be anything.
  3. Listen to every “original sound.” Play it with a recognition app running, and listen yourself for a melody or lyrics you know. Sped-up, slowed and remixed versions of hits count as the hit. Our guide on original sound explains why.
  4. Add everything you've boosted. In Ads Manager, list every Spark Ad and paid post from the period, including ones using creators' posts. Mark them “boosted: yes.” These carry the most risk, because paid use is clearly commercial.
  5. Add your creators' sponsored posts. Ask each creator for links, or search for your brand tag. These sit on their accounts, but they promote your products, and brands have been named in lawsuits over exactly this.
  6. Look for affiliate videos. If you sell on TikTok Shop, search your brand and product names. You may find dozens of affiliate videos you never saw. List the ones with named songs.
  7. Check creator rights. For each creator video you've reposted or boosted, compare today's date with the usage rights end date in the contract. Anything past its end date is a problem, music or not.
  8. Mark each row green, yellow or red. Green: licensed or original audio and current rights. Yellow: unclear, or rights ending within 30 days. Red: a commercial song with no license shown, or content running past its rights.

What to fix first

Priority order: 1 red boosted ads, 2 red creator and affiliate posts, 3 red organic posts, 4 yellow items 1. Red + boosted or running as an ad: pause today 2. Red creator and affiliate posts: ask for a swap or takedown 3. Red organic posts on your account: swap or archive 4. Yellow: confirm licenses and dates
Money behind a post makes it the most urgent fix. Then everything promoting your products.

For each red post the fix is one of three things: swap the audio for a licensed track, license the song properly, or take the post down. Don't simply re-upload the same video, and don't boost anything still marked red.

How to talk to creators and affiliates about it

Asking a creator to change a video can feel awkward, especially if they've done good work for you. Keep it simple and blame-free. Most creators picked a trending sound because it performs, not because they were trying to cause problems, and many don't know that a sponsored post counts as commercial use.

Something like this works: “We're tightening up music on all our partner content. The track in your [date] video isn't licensed for brand use, so could you swap it for one from TikTok's Commercial Music Library or remove the post? Happy to suggest a track.” Offer a short list of approved tracks so the fix takes them five minutes.

For affiliates you don't have a contract with, you have less control, but TikTok Shop sellers can still reach out through the affiliate tools and stop sending samples or commission to creators who won't fix red posts. Going forward, put music rules in every brief and contract. Our creator brief template has wording you can copy.

Keep a record of what you fixed

For every red post you fix, add the date and what you did to the spreadsheet: swapped, licensed or removed. If a rights owner ever raises an old post, a dated record showing you found and fixed problems quickly is far better than saying you didn't know.

An example of what turns up

A home fragrance brand runs this audit on 140 posts. Their own account is mostly clean: 6 reds, all from one intern's busy month. The surprises are elsewhere. Three Spark Ads use creators' videos with a chart song, one of them still running. And a TikTok Shop search turns up 90 affiliate videos, 31 with named songs. None of it was hidden. Nobody had looked.

When DIY stops working

The manual method is fine for one account with a few dozen posts. It breaks down with affiliate programs, several regions, or hundreds of creator videos, and recognition apps miss songs that are sped up or buried under voiceover. That's when an outside check pays for itself. We review your posts, creator and affiliate videos and ads, check them against the songs we track from real music claims, and mark each one green, yellow or red with a fix. A reviewer confirms every flag. The first check is from $500 for up to 100 posts, free if there's nothing to fix, or start with a free check of your latest 20 posts.

Common questions

How far back should a TikTok music audit go?

Start with 90 days, since that covers most live and boosted content. Then work back further, because rights owners can raise older posts.

Is a song recognition app enough?

It's a good start, but apps can miss sped-up, slowed or covered songs and music under voiceover. Listen yourself too.

Do I need to audit creators' accounts?

Their sponsored posts for your brand, yes. Brands have been named in lawsuits over influencer posts they paid for.

Should I delete red posts?

Swap the audio or take them down so the exposure stops. Keep a record of what was there and when you fixed it.

How often should we repeat the audit?

Monthly for active accounts, and always before a big boosting push.

Part of: TikTok music for brands

Related guides

General information, not legal advice. Platform rules and licenses change; check the current terms or ask your lawyer about your situation. Lawsuit figures are as reported and represent claims, not findings, unless noted.