Check any song before you upload. Get a copyright risk score and find royalty-free alternatives so your video stays monetized and strike-free.
Enter song details to assess risk
Legal Disclaimer: This tool provides heuristic estimates only and does NOT constitute legal advice. Copyright law is complex and varies by jurisdiction. Always verify music licenses before use. Results are NOT guaranteed to be accurate for any specific song.
From upload to claim — what happens when copyrighted audio appears in your video.
Your video goes live. Content ID scans audio within minutes of processing.
The system compares your track against millions of registered reference files.
Rights holder policy kicks in — monetize, mute, block, or strike.
Dispute with a license, replace the audio, or trim the claimed section.
Most creators confuse these — the difference affects your channel standing.
| Factor | Content ID Claim | Copyright Strike |
|---|---|---|
| Channel impact | No strike on record — video may stay up | Counts toward 3-strike termination |
| Revenue | Ads may go to rights holder | Video removed, no earnings |
| How it happens | Automated Content ID match | Manual DMCA takedown request |
| Can you dispute? | Yes — with license or fair use proof | Yes — but risk counter-notification |
| Typical fix | Replace audio or accept monetization share | Wait 90 days or complete Copyright School |
Licensed sources that keep your videos monetized and strike-free.
Built into Creator Studio. Thousands of tracks cleared for Content ID — zero claims.
Royalty-free under Pixabay license. No attribution needed for YouTube or social media.
Free electronic music for YouTube. Attribution required. Monetization shared, not struck.
40,000+ tracks with full Content ID clearance. $10/month, unlimited YouTube use.
One license covers unlimited videos forever. Popular with professional creators.
Corporate and cinematic tracks. Free with credit, or paid license without attribution.
Using the wrong background track is one of the fastest ways to lose monetization on a YouTube video. Content ID runs automatically — there is no grace period. A trending video can go from earning revenue to funding a record label's ad account within hours of upload.
Buying a song on Spotify or Apple Music does not give you sync rights for video. You need an explicit license — either royalty-free, Creative Commons, or a paid subscription like Epidemic Sound that covers YouTube distribution.
Our checker scans song and artist names against known risk signals: major label artists, NCS-safe tracks, public domain composers, and Creative Commons releases. Use it as a first filter, then verify the actual license before publishing.
Even a 3-second clip can trigger Content ID. Length does not protect you.
Beethoven may be public domain, but a modern orchestra recording is still copyrighted.
Royalty-free, CC-BY, and sync licenses all have different YouTube rules.
Swapping audio is faster than disputing a claim you cannot prove.
Free tools to grow, analyze, and monetize your YouTube channel.