Beatmakers who sell instrumentals often have a question: how can I check who is using my beats? After all, if this is not done, then anyone can download the beat for free, make a track on it and publish it on platforms. To identify such violations, there are a number of ways, we talk about all of them in our article:

1. Try searching by “Prod. By” and your nickname

Often artists who use “free for profit” beats do not care about licensing issues, but still try to indicate the beatmaker in the credits. By searching for the line “prod. By *name*” on YouTube and Soundcloud, you can identify artists who used your beat. You can also do the same thing on Google, since some artists list beatmakers only on social networks, in which case you will be more likely to find published posts indicating the use of your beats.

2. Use Shazam

If an artist has published their release on streaming platforms, you may be able to find them through Shazam. To do this, turn on your beat and raise it to the microphone of your phone with Shazam turned on. If the performer has not made any changes to the track, the application will detect the track even from a few seconds of intro. Keep in mind that Shazam searches only in the Apple Music & iTunes database, that is, if the artist for some reason has not uploaded the track to these sites, it will not be found in the application

3. Activate Wavesmatch

Wavesmatch is an automated copyright protection solution. The service searches for tracks using your beat on 12 platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon and others. For each match, it provides full information about the release, including the author, release date, as well as links to the platforms where the track was found. You can learn more about the service on the website, or by watching this video.

We recommend that you install the autopilot feature once every two weeks. This way, you can discover new tracks using your beat automatically without the need for manual searching. Once pirated uses of a beat have been identified, it becomes necessary to ensure their removal. Wavesmatch allows you to file a complaint about a track directly within the service in one click; you can read about other methods in our article.

4. Turn on Content ID

Content ID is a system that identifies how your audio is used in custom videos. Currently, this format is available on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook (Instagram). If someone uses your beat in a video, information will be placed under it stating that it was your creativity that was used in the video, and you will receive all the monetization from this content. This way, you will not only find out who is misusing your beat, but you can also make money from it.

There are many different Content ID providers. For this function, you can use, for example, a music distributor, a special Content ID service, but for beatmakers the most convenient way would be to activate Content ID inside Wavesmatch. This way, you can protect your bit on all fronts at once, not only identifying who is using it, but also immediately making money on it.