Welcome to the SongProof.com FAQ. Here, we’ve compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions to help you better understand our services and how we protect your creative work. If you need further assistance, our support team is just a message away.
SongProof is a platform that provides verifiable proof of creation and authorship for your music. By uploading your work, SongProof generates a cryptographic fingerprint and anchors it to both the Bitcoin and Polygon blockchains, creating a tamper-resistant, independently verifiable record of when your song existed and who created it.
No. SongProof does not replace copyright registration. Instead, it acts as a first line of defense — documenting your work at the moment of creation, before release or sharing. This can be critical in disputes, especially when timing is contested. For maximum protection, we recommend using SongProof together with official registration in your country.
SongProof provides strong evidentiary support by generating cryptographic timestamps that can be independently verified. Courts in many jurisdictions increasingly recognize digital timestamping and hash-based evidence as supporting proof of existence and authorship. SongProof strengthens your position by anchoring your work to public blockchains, creating an immutable timeline. However, legal weight can vary by jurisdiction, and SongProof is best used alongside formal copyright registration where available. Learn More
SongProof proves three critical things: (1) Existence – your song existed at a specific point in time. (2) Integrity – the file has not been altered. (3) Authorship context – who created it and how ownership is split. This combination creates a strong foundation for defending your rights. Learn More
Yes — this is where SongProof becomes extremely powerful. If you created your song first and secured a SongProof timestamp, you already have independent, time-stamped evidence showing your work existed earlier. Even if someone else later registers or claims the work, your earlier timestamp can demonstrate prior creation. In many cases, this leads to disputes being resolved in your favor — often without going to court.
Yes. Your SongProof certificate includes a cryptographic hash of your file, blockchain timestamps (Polygon + Bitcoin), and ownership and contributor metadata. This creates a verifiable chain of evidence that can support legal claims, negotiations, or takedown requests. In many cases, such evidence helps resolve disputes before reaching court, saving time and cost. Learn More
SongProof uses Polygon for fast, low-cost timestamping and Bitcoin for long-term, highly secure anchoring. This dual approach ensures your proof is both instant and durable, combining usability with maximum credibility.
Yes. Your original files are securely stored in your private vault. Files are encrypted and not publicly accessible. Only a cryptographic fingerprint (hash) is placed on the blockchain, and even SongProof cannot alter your original file. This ensures both privacy and verifiability.
Your proof is timestamped on the Polygon blockchain instantly, and on Bitcoin within a few hours (depending on network congestion).
You can delete your proof entry from your dashboard, but the blockchain record remains. We suggest double-checking before submitting.
We offer a free tier to test the service with all the features of a paid plan.
Yes. When uploading, you can list all contributors and define ownership splits. Just make sure all co-creators agree and are informed.
A smart contract in SongProof is used to lock in ownership splits (split sheets) between collaborators. Once recorded, ownership percentages are tamper-proof, agreements are time-stamped, and records are independently verifiable. These agreements are further anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain, creating a permanent and trusted record of collaboration. By combining smart contracts with Bitcoin timestamping, SongProof removes ambiguity, prevents disputes, and provides an immutable record that can be relied upon for royalty distribution, licensing, and legal protection.
A takedown request is a formal notice to remove unauthorized content (e.g., from YouTube or Spotify) that infringes on your copyright. SongProof strengthens your claim by providing proof of earliest creation, a verifiable timestamp, and a clear ownership record — increasing the likelihood of faster resolution by platforms.
Yes. SongProof does not collect royalties. You should register with a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) such as SOCAN, ASCAP, or BMI to ensure you receive performance royalties.
Yes. SongProof is a global platform accessible from any country.
No — not a single one of them. All major distribution platforms operate on the same legal principle: they receive a limited, non-exclusive license to deliver your music to streaming stores. That's it. DistroKid says it plainly in their own agreement: they don't take any copyright or other interest in any of your music, only a limited license to distribute. CD Baby, TuneCore, and Amuse.io all take the same position. Your copyright stays with you. The distributor is the delivery truck — not the owner of the cargo.
Absolutely not. A distribution agreement and a SongProof certificate operate in completely different legal domains. A distribution T&C is a commercial contract governing how your music gets delivered to Spotify, Apple Music, etc. — it's contract law. A SongProof certificate is a cryptographic timestamp proving you created a specific piece of music at a specific point in time — it's copyright evidence law. No contract between you and a distributor can alter, erase, or override a record that already exists on the blockchain, independently of any platform. Think of it this way: signing a lease to rent out a painting doesn't un-paint it. The SongProof certificate proves you made the work. The distribution deal just handles where it lives commercially.
No. Authorship is established at the moment of creation and is governed by copyright law, not by any distribution contract. Every distributor on the market actually requires you to declare that you already own the rights before they'll distribute your music. They are relying on your ownership, not granting it to you. A SongProof certificate is timestamped proof that you owned it before you ever touched a distribution platform — which is exactly what they're asking you to confirm when you upload.
Yes, universally. We've verified this across DistroKid, CD Baby, TuneCore, Amuse.io, Ditto Music, UnitedMasters, Stem, and Songtradr. All of them follow the same model: they get a license to distribute, you keep the copyright. This isn't a coincidence — it's how music distribution licensing works under international copyright frameworks including the Berne Convention and WIPO treaties. Any distributor that did try to claim copyright ownership would be violating international law. Your SongProof certificate remains fully valid across all of them.
Nothing happens to it. Your SongProof certificate lives on the blockchain — completely independently of any distribution platform. Distribution platforms can and do remove music for various reasons: subscription lapses, legal disputes, platform shutdowns, or artist request. In every one of these scenarios, your blockchain timestamp remains intact, permanent, and fully provable. If your music gets pulled from Spotify tomorrow, your SongProof certificate still proves you created it — on that date — regardless of where it's currently streaming.
Publishing administration services are a layer above basic distribution, and their agreements have more teeth — though they still don't transfer copyright ownership. Services like CD Baby Pro and TuneCore Publishing act as your worldwide publishing administrator, collecting mechanical royalties, registering your songs with PROs, and pitching for sync opportunities — for a fee or commission. They don't own your copyright. However, these agreements typically include exclusive administration rights for a defined term, meaning you can't sign with another publishing admin for the same songs during that period. Read these agreements carefully before opting in — particularly the exclusivity and term clauses. Your SongProof certificate is unaffected by publishing admin agreements. The certificate proves authorship — a fact that no administration deal can change.
Copyright is the legal ownership of a creative work. It's automatic the moment you record an original song — you don't have to register it anywhere (though registration strengthens your legal position significantly). A distribution license is a separate agreement you make with a company to handle a specific commercial activity — delivering your music to stores. It's a permission you grant, not an ownership you transfer. Analogy: you might license a photo to a magazine for one issue. That doesn't mean the magazine owns the photo. You still do. When you sign with any distributor, you're giving them a key to your front door — not the deed to your house. SongProof is the deed.
Here's what none of the major distributors do for you: create an independent, timestamped record proving when you created a specific piece of music. SongProof records the cryptographic fingerprint (SHA-256 hash) of your audio file on the blockchain at the moment you register it. This creates a permanent, tamper-proof record showing: that a specific audio file existed on a specific date, who registered it and when, and that the file has not been altered since registration. Every distributor assumes you own your music. SongProof is how you prove it — before, during, and after any distribution agreement.
Before — always. The entire value of a SongProof certificate comes from the timestamp. The earlier you register, the stronger your proof of original creation. Ideally, register your song with SongProof as soon as you have a completed recording — before you send it to any distributor, publisher, collaborator, or sync platform. This means your blockchain record predates everything: the distribution agreement, the Spotify release date, any pitch you send out. If a dispute ever arises about who created a song and when, the SongProof certificate — timestamped before any commercial activity — is your strongest evidence. Think of it as creating your paper trail at the beginning, not the end.
Our team is here for you. Email info@songproof.com