Music copyright checklist: 12 questions before you post
Short answer
Before any brand video goes live, you should be able to name the music, say who licensed it, and confirm the license covers this use. If the post will be boosted or run as an ad, check again, because paid use is where most licenses stop. The checklist below takes about two minutes per video once it's a habit. Copy it into your content calendar, your creator brief or your approval tool.
Why a checklist works better than a policy
Most brand teams don't post unlicensed music on purpose. It happens at 6pm on a Thursday, when a video needs to go out and the trending sound is right there. A policy document sits in a drive. A checklist sits in the approval step, which is where the decision actually gets made.
This one is built around the mistakes we see most often in brand accounts: trending songs on business posts, creator videos boosted without checking the audio, “original sound” that's really a hit, and creator rights that ended months ago. If your team only adopts three of the questions, adopt 1, 6 and 10.
The checklist
Copy the text below. Replace the highlighted parts with your own details.
Music and rights check: [Brand name]
Post: [link or file name] · Platform: [TikTok / Instagram / YouTube] · Checked by: [name] · Date: [date]
The music
1. What is the music? Track name and artist, or “original audio we made.” [answer]
2. Where did it come from? [TikTok Commercial Music Library / Meta Sound Collection / our library plan: name / commissioned / licensed directly / other]
3. If it's labelled “original sound,” have we listened for a song underneath? [yes / no]
4. Is it a sped-up, slowed, remixed or covered version of a known song? If yes, treat it as that song. [yes / no]
5. Is any song playing in the background (store, event, car radio)? [yes / no; if yes, remove or replace]
The license
6. Does our license cover this exact use: this brand, this platform, organic or paid? [yes, plan/license: ___ / no]
7. If a library track: is the plan in the company's name, and does it include paid ads? [yes / no / n/a]
8. If made by a creator or agency: did they confirm in writing where the music came from? [yes / no / n/a]
The people
9. Does anyone appear who isn't on our team? Do we have their permission for this use? [yes / no / n/a]
10. If it's a creator's content: do our usage rights cover this platform, and are they still current? End date: [date]
Paid use
11. Will this be boosted, run as a Spark Ad or partnership ad, or used in paid media? [yes / no]. If yes, re-check 6, 7 and 10 for paid use specifically.
12. Have we logged the track, source and license so we can prove it later? [yes, saved to: ___]
Result: [OK to post / fix first: ___]
How to use it without slowing everything down
- Put it in the approval step. Whoever approves a post confirms the checklist. If your tool supports custom fields, add questions 1, 6, 10 and 11.
- Pre-clear your music. Keep a short list of approved tracks from your library or TikTok's Commercial Music Library, so most posts tick question 6 instantly.
- Send it to creators with the brief. Ask them to answer questions 1 to 5 when they deliver the video. Our creator brief template has wording for this.
- Re-run 10 and 11 before any boost. Most expensive mistakes happen at the moment an organic post becomes an ad.
The three answers that should stop a post
Most answers on the checklist lead to a quick fix. Three should stop the post outright until they're resolved. A “no” on question 6 means you don't have a license for this use, so swap the track. A past date on question 10 means the creator's rights have ended, so renew them or pull the content. And a “yes” on question 11 with a “not sure” anywhere else means you're about to put money behind something you can't defend. Waiting a day costs nothing. A boosted post with an unlicensed song can cost a lot.
An example
A pet food brand adopts the checklist in March. In April, question 3 catches a creator's video labelled “original sound” that's actually a slowed-down pop hit; the creator re-cuts it with a library track before it posts. In May, question 10 catches a whitelisted ad still running two weeks after the creator's 60-day rights ended. Neither would have been noticed until someone else pointed it out.
What the checklist can't do
It covers new posts. It doesn't tell you what's already live on your account, in creators' sponsored posts, in affiliate videos or in ads that are still running. That's where most brands find their surprises. An outside check reviews all of it and marks each post green, yellow or red with a fix, and a reviewer confirms every flag. The first check is from $500 for up to 100 posts, free if there's nothing to fix. You can also start with the free check of your latest 20 posts.
General information, not legal advice. Adapt the checklist with your legal team for your own contracts and markets.
Common questions
How long does the checklist take per video?
About two minutes once your team has a list of pre-cleared tracks. The first few take longer while you work out where your music comes from.
Do we need to run it for every story or quick post?
Run questions 1, 2 and 6 for anything with music. Stories are still brand content, and music in them counts.
Who should own the checklist?
Whoever approves posts. For creator content, the person who manages the creator relationship should own questions 8 and 10.
Can creators fill it in themselves?
Yes, questions 1 to 5 work well as part of the delivery. Your team should still confirm 6, 10 and 11, because those depend on your licenses.
Does passing the checklist mean we're legally safe?
It means you've asked the right questions and kept a record. It isn't legal advice, and it doesn't cover posts that are already live.
Part of: Music licensing 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.