What can you do if you’re concerned your song sounds too much like an existing song?
If you’re creating original music, it’s obviously important to ensure that you’re not infringing on the copyright of another song. And there are innumerable circumstances when you might want some assurance.
For the songwriter, there are some basic steps you can take to try to ensure your song is original:
- You can conduct your own search: Use online search engines to search for the title and lyrics of your song. This will help you identify any existing songs that have similar titles or lyrics.
- Try music recognition software: Use music recognition software such as Shazam to identify any existing songs that sound similar to yours.
- Check the copyright office: Search the copyright office’s database to see if there are any existing songs that have similar titles or lyrics.
- Get a musicologist’s opinion: Musicologists are asked to offer “clearance” opinions all the time. A site like Musicologize.com offers “preventative musicology” which is just that sort of service. A musicologist will analyze your work, along with the work you’re concerned about, and provide a professional opinion about the originality of your work and whether it includes “protectable expression” from other works, including specifically the one you’re concerned about.
Remember, creating original music is important, not just for legal reasons, but also for artistic integrity.