Copyright problems have been making headlines since the dawn of music AI… or at least that is how it sometimes feels. Every week there seems to be another story about artists claiming their music was copied or used without permission.
Yet what many people do not realise is that musicians have been protecting their intellectual property for decades — long before AI entered the conversation. The process has simply evolved from physical paper trails to digital ones.
In reality, many artists already create a strong record of ownership simply by following a few practical steps during the normal music production and release process.
To avoid confusion, let’s walk through a simple example.
The Typical Song Project Folder
You have finally finished your song. It is recorded, mastered, and saved as a high definition .WAV file on your computer, ready to be shared with the world.
Inside your project folder you will usually have something like this:
A. Recorded parts of your instruments and vocals
B. Score files if notation software was used
C. Track artwork
D. Album artwork
E. A DAW project file
F. A lyrics file (TXT or PDF)
G. A mastered MP3 version for marketing or pitching (with metadata)
H. Advertising material such as short demos, images, or video clips from your video project
I. Your final mastered HD WAV file (with metadata or BWF information)
Step 1 – Protecting the Folder
Once everything is complete, the entire folder is set to “Read-Only.”
The goal here is simple: prevent accidental overwriting or changes to the original files.
Step 2 – Distribution and ISRC
The track is then uploaded to your distributor, where an ISRC code is requested as part of the release process.
In most cases, distributors ask you to allow roughly two weeks for the track to be fully distributed across platforms, although sometimes it can happen sooner.
Step 3 – Marketing
During this waiting period, marketing usually begins.
This might include:
short promotional videos
announcements
teaser clips
early mentions of the upcoming release
Step 4 – Release
If there are no algorithm or copyright-detection problems, your song is finally released and distributed across platforms.
And ideally, by this point you have already started working on your next track.
Step 5 – Archiving
Once everything is complete, the project folder is compressed (zipped) and stored as a backup.
Inside that archive you can also include a simple file containing the ISRC number for record-keeping purposes.
Creating a Digital Paper Trail
What you have essentially done through this process is create a digital paper trail of your intellectual property.
In the past, composers sometimes mailed their sheet music to themselves as proof of authorship. Today the process is digital, but the concept remains the same — establishing a clear timeline of when your work was created.
For example:
The original project folder preserves the timestamps of when files were created and last modified.
Metadata files contain information such as the songwriter, collaborators, lyrics, and ISRC number. Personally, I store this information in a separate MP3 file so the original timestamps in my project folder remain unchanged.
Your distributor upload confirmation email provides a timestamped record of what was submitted.
Distribution notifications confirm when the track was delivered to platforms.
Your compressed backup archive contains all relevant project material in one place, again with its own timestamp.
Together, these elements create a timeline showing when the work was created, uploaded, and distributed.
These records together create a timeline that is extremely difficult to falsify, especially when external systems such as distributors, email servers, and streaming platforms are involved.
Something to Keep in Mind Legally
Before continuing, there is an important legal point worth mentioning.
The steps described above are not a replacement for formal copyright registration in countries where such systems exist. In most parts of the world, copyright is automatically created the moment a piece of music is written or recorded, but official registration can provide additional legal advantages depending on the jurisdiction.
What the process described above does create, however, is a well-documented timeline of your creative work.
While timestamps on local files can sometimes be altered, external records such as distributor systems, email servers, and streaming platform databases cannot be modified by the artist. When combined with your original project files and backups, these records help establish a consistent digital history of when your work was created and released.
In short, the purpose of these steps is not to replace copyright law, but rather to maintain a clear digital footprint of your work should questions of authorship ever arise.
A Personal Request to Fellow Artists
If you hear something you really vibe with — a loop, a melody, or even an entire song — please do not simply take it and suddenly call it your own.
Reach out to the original creator and ask for permission.
Get it in writing, and once permission is granted you can safely remix, cover, or incorporate elements of the track with proper credit.
Many artists genuinely enjoy hearing that someone connected with their music. Unless a record label is involved, many creators are happy to allow remixes or reinterpretations because it helps their work reach audiences they might not normally reach.
Yes, there may be royalty splits involved, but if the situation were reversed, would you not also want fair compensation for the work you put into your music?
Some artists will decline these requests, and that is their right. Many work within very specific genres and feel that remixes or reinterpretations might move their music outside the artistic direction they want to maintain.
Personally, I feel this can sometimes be a missed opportunity for exposure and creative collaboration — but ultimately the choice belongs to the original creator.
My Upcoming Track
Over the past few days, I have been working on a new track. The upload to my distributor has already been completed and, if everything goes smoothly, it should soon appear on my usual 480+ DSP platforms. (Schedule for release 21 March 2026)
Since the track has not yet reached the first DSP, I cannot share the official video or marketing material just yet. The lyrics, however, are already available.
The song was written in Afrikaans, with translations in English and French.
Title: Sal jy my onthou (Will You Remember Me) (Penses-tu encore à moi)
As usual, I do not have a vocalist for this piece. Instead, the melody is performed by a soft, lonely tenor saxophone, with soprano saxophone providing the backing vocal lines.
Vers 1 – (GB) – (FR)
Ek staan stil – (I stand still) – (Je reste immobile)
By jou deur – (At your door) – (Devant ta porte)
Woorde bly – (Words remain) – (Les mots se brisent)
In my keel – (Caught in my throat) – (Au fond de ma gorge)
As ek eendag – (If one day) – (Si un jour)
Moet weggaan – (I have to leave) – (Je dois partir)
Pre 1
As die ligte doof – (When the lights fade) – (Quand les lumières s’éteignent)
En jy alleen bly – (And you are left alone) – (Et que tu restes seule)
Koor
Onthou jy my nog – (Will you still remember me) – (Te souviendras-tu de moi)
As ek eendag gaan – (If one day I’m gone) – (Quand je serai parti)
Sal my stem nog steeds – (Will my voice still remain) – (Ma voix vivra-t-elle encore)
In jou kamer staan – (Standing in your room) – (Dans le silence de ta nuit)
As die nag jou roep – (When the night calls to you) – (Quand l’ombre t’appellera)
En dit raak stil – (And everything grows quiet) – (Et que tout deviendra silence)
Sal jy my onthou – (Will you remember me) – (Penses-tu encore à moi)
As ek nie meer daar is – (When I am no longer there) – (Quand je ne serai plus là)
Vers 2
Daar’s ’n foto – (There’s a photograph) – (Il y a une photo)
Op jou rak – (On your shelf) – (Posée sur ton étagère)
Met my hand – (My hand) – (Ma main)
vas In joune – (Held in yours) – (Perdue dans la tienne)
Sal dit stof vang – (Will it gather dust) – (Prendra-t-elle la poussière)
Met die tyd – (As time passes) – (Avec le temps)
Brug
Ek was deel van jou asem – (I was part of your breath) – (J’étais une part de ton souffle)
Deel van elke dag – (Part of every day) – (Une part de chacun de tes jours)
Ek het spore gelos in jou lag – (I left traces inside your laughter) – (J’ai laissé des traces dans ton rire)
As ek weg is – (When I am gone) – (Quand je serai parti)
Moenie alles sluit nie – (Don’t close everything away) – (Ne ferme pas toutes les portes)
Moenie maak – (Don’t pretend) – (Ne fais pas semblant)
Of ek nooit was nie – (That I was never there) – (Que je n’ai jamais été là)
Pre 2
As jy my naam hoor – (When you hear my name) – (Si tu entends mon nom)
In die laat nag – (Late in the night) – (Au cœur de la nuit)
Finale Koor
Onthou jy my nog – (Will you still remember me) – (Te souviendras-tu de moi)
As ek eendag gaan – (If one day I’m gone) – (Quand je serai parti)
Sal my stem nog steeds – (Will my voice still remain) – (Ma voix vivra-t-elle encore)
In jou kamer staan – (Standing in your room) – (Dans le silence de ta nuit)
As die nag jou roep – (When the night calls to you) – (Quand l’ombre t’appellera)
En dit raak stil – (And everything grows quiet) – (Et que tout deviendra silence)
Sal jy my onthou – (Will you remember me) – (Penses-tu encore à moi)
As ek nie meer daar is – (When I am no longer there) – (Quand je ne serai plus là)
Remember to have a look at Charagma HUB for more information on me as composer/songwriter