How to Copyright Music (Beats, Tracks & Productions)

From a finished track to a single beat, music is protected by copyright on creation — but the producer world runs on shared files and fast collaboration. Here's how to protect your music and prove you made it.

Compositions and recordings

As with songs, music carries two copyrights: the composition (Form PA) and the sound recording (Form SR), registered at copyright.gov. Instrumentals, beats, and productions are all protectable original works.

Producers and beatmakers: the leasing problem

Beats get sent out as previews, leased to multiple artists, and shared on marketplaces and social media. That's a recipe for "who made this beat" disputes and unlicensed use. Formal registration of every beat is impractical when you produce dozens a week.

Timestamp beats and stems as you make them

A blockchain timestamp is fast enough to fit a producer's workflow. Drop a beat, stems, or project bounce into BlockchainSign — the SHA-256 fingerprint is computed in your browser, recorded on Ethereum, and returned as a lifetime certificate. You get dated, tamper-proof proof that your exact file existed before you sent any preview, without filing paperwork for each one. Register the tracks that matter commercially, and timestamp everything.