Instagram Music Copyright Issue (How to Avoid it?)

As a user and content creator on Instagram, one of my primary concerns has always been the possibility that my content can be stolen (and it did get stolen quite a few times if you ask). This has always kept me from posting my best content on the platform, and on the other hand, the urge to be seen and appreciated for what I think is valuable has been ever eating me.

Instagram, unlucky for photographers and writers like me, has not yet seen through a plan to avoid our content stolen. But fortunately for the musician, Instagram music copyright update was rolled out in 2017 to start a new phase in the social media’s history.

So what is this Instagram music copyright issue?

Many people on Instagram have reported that their videos were deleted by Instagram because they had not given the credit of the video to its original creator. This is true with the reposted videos. But some claimed that even when they created a video of their own, the content got deleted. Later they found that it was not the video that was copyrighted, but the background music of it!

Yes, you indeed need to give credits to the musician if you want to use their piece in your Instagram posts. To do it, only mention them under your post in the caption and tell your followers to whom the music belongs.

But beware that even if you mention their name under your post, your video might still get deleted because the original owner of the music might be not willing to share their piece to be shared and published by you.

How should you avoid Instagram music copyright issue?

There are several ways to avoid this issue, but these methods are not 100 percent guaranteed and might still take you nowhere.

• Give full credit to the owner and creator of the music

As a matter of ethics, it is always the right choice to mention the creator if you want to display the content to the public. Even on Instagram, ethics are still playing a significant role in shaping the behavior of users. So give the right credit not only to avoid your post’s deletion but also to help the right culture build throughout the platform. It also adds to your page’s authenticity as people will notice you as a person of ethics.

Despite giving the credit, your content might get deleted, regardless. It might be because you will need direct permission from the real owner. In case your video gets deleted, Instagram will send you the following notification:

• You can always appeal to Instagram’s decision

In the above image, you see an “appeal” link in blue. If you think Instagram’s decision on the deletion of your content is wrong and you have not violated Instagram music copyright rule, then you can appeal. Remember that you can only appeal to their decision if you have permission to use the music in your posts.

After you appeal, you’ll be led to a page like this:

• You’d better ask before posting, always!

This is a civilized move to ask for permission if you ask for the owner’s permission before you use it. This also will prevent your posts from being deleted, which is a convincing reason to encourage you for getting the permission.

• You can use not copyrighted, free music in your videos

There are several websites on the Internet that provide free music that needs no copyright to be published. You’d better use them instead of those famous songs that can be detected in a millisecond. There are plenty of them on YouTube and other websites such as royaltyfreemusic.productions.

• Make some changes to the original music

Another solution can be making changes to the original music, such as adding a background sound or another voice to it. This might distract the bot which tries to distinguish the music. But again, changing the elements of the music might not work 100%. So, you’d better go for the three previous methods that are more reliable.

Final thought

Instagram music copyright is not a bad idea when it comes to originality matter. This not-so-old update might result in more ethical behaviors in social media users and make them think more about the copyright and its value among creators. We hope that shortly, Instagram will add another update to defend the rights of photographers and writers. However, right now if an author or a photographer reports their content stolen by another account, Instagram will take action. But it is only if the creator makes the first move.