How to Check if a Song Is Copyrighted on Instagram

Adding the perfect song to your Instagram Reel or Story feels like the final touch, but hitting share only to have your audio muted or your video removed is incredibly frustrating. You're not alone if you're confused about what music you can and can't use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to check if a song is copyrighted on Instagram so you can post your content confidently.

Why Instagram Cares So Much About Music Copyright

First, let's get into the "why." Every commercial song you’ve ever heard is owned by someone - artists, songwriters, record labels - and using it without permission is technically copyright infringement. To manage this on a massive scale, Instagram (and its parent company, Meta) have agreements with many music rights holders. They also use an automated system called Rights Manager to scan uploaded content for copyrighted material.

This system acts as a digital bouncer. If it detects a song you don’t have the rights to use, it can take several actions:

• Mute your video: The most common outcome. Your video stays up, but the audio is stripped away, usually with a notification saying something like, "Your video has been muted because it may contain music you don't own the rights to."
• Block your video: The video might be completely blocked from being viewed in certain countries or, in some cases, worldwide.
• Place a strike on your account: Repeated infringements can lead to restrictions on your account or even a permanent ban.

The goal isn't to punish creators, but to legally protect the platform and the artists. The good news is, there are several straightforward ways to find and use music that won't land you in content jail.

Method 1: The Safest Bet - Use Instagram's Official Music Library

The number one, easiest, and most reliable way to add copyrighted music to your content without getting in trouble is to use the music library provided directly within the Instagram app. This music has been pre-licensed by Instagram for you to use in your Reels and Stories.

How to Access the Instagram Music Library

The process is simple and built right into the content creation flow:

1. Start creating a new Reel or Story.
2. After recording or uploading your video, tap the music icon (it looks like a musical note).
3. This opens the music library. You'll see a "For You" page with recommendations, and you can also use the "Browse" tab to find tracks by genre, mood, or what's trending.
4. Use the search bar at the top to look for a specific song, artist, or album.
5. Once you find a song, you can scrub through it to select the exact clip you want to use (up to 90 seconds for Reels).
6. Add it to your video, adjust the volume levels if needed, and you’re ready to share.

Any track you find and select through this official feature is cleared for use on the platform. You won’t have to worry about takedowns or muted audio.

A Note on Business Accounts vs. Creator Accounts

Have you ever noticed that your business account has a much smaller and different selection of music compared to a personal or creator account? This isn't a glitch. Instagram's music licenses are tricky. The agreements for commercial music (think Top 40 hits from major artists) typically cover personal, non-commercial use only.

Since a business account is promoting a product or service, using a Taylor Swift song in an ad-like Reel falls into a commercial use category, which Instagram’s licenses don’t cover. To avoid legal issues, Instagram gives business accounts access to its Sound Collection - a library of royalty-free music that is cleared for commercial purposes.

If having access to trending, popular music is central to your social media strategy, you might consider switching your profile to a Creator account. Just go to Settings and privacy > Creator tools and controls > Switch account type.

Method 2: Use Royalty-Free and Public Domain Music

Want a unique sound that isn't already all over Instagram? Royalty-free music is your answer. "Royalty-free" doesn't necessarily mean "free of cost" - it means you pay a one-time fee or subscribe to a service to get the right to use the music without paying ongoing royalties to the creator.

There are also sources for music that is genuinely free, often under a Creative Commons license or in the public domain.

• Public Domain: A work enters the public domain when its copyright expires. In the U.S., this generally applies to music published before 1928. It's completely free to use without permission or attribution.
• Creative Commons (CC): This is a licensing framework where creators can allow others to use their work under specific conditions. Some CC licenses only require you to give credit (attribution), while others might restrict commercial use. Always check the specific license!

Where to Find Safe, Royalty-Free Music

Countless websites offer high-quality music cleared for social media use. Here are some of the most trusted platforms:

• YouTube Audio Library: One of the best free resources. You can filter by genre, mood, and whether attribution is required. It's built for YouTube videos but is great for Instagram content, too.
• Meta Sound Collection: Available through the Creator Studio, this is Meta's own library of royalty-free sound effects and music that you can use across Instagram and Facebook.
• Pixabay Music: Offers a wide range of free-to-use music tracks that don’t require attribution.
• Epidemic Sound: A subscription-based service with an enormous, high-quality library. It's incredibly popular with full-time content creators because it simplifies licensing completely.
• Artlist: Another premium, subscription-based library known for its cinematic-quality music.

Method 3: Check Official Copyright Performance Databases

If you're determined to use a specific commercial song and want to understand who owns it before attempting to license it, you can consult the official databases managed by Performance Rights Organizations (PROs). This method is more for deep research and less for a quick check. It won't tell you if Instagram’s system will flag it - it will - but it will tell you who to contact if you wanted to legally license the track for a big campaign.

The main PROs in the US are:

• ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers): Has a searchable database called the "ACE Repertory."
• BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.): Offers a public "Repertoire Search" on its website.
• SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers): Also has its own repertory search tool.

By searching for a song title or artist in these databases, you can find detailed information about the songwriters, publishers, and other rights holders. Again, this doesn't give you permission to use the song. It just shows you who holds the copyright.

Method 4: Rely on "Original Audio" - With Caution

When you scroll through Reels, you’ll see audio credited to other creators, listed as "Original Audio." This can be a great way to participate in trends. Using someone else's original audio by tapping the sound and selecting "Use audio" is a core function of the platform and generally safe.

However, there's a catch. Just because it says "Original Audio" doesn't mean it's 100% free of copyrighted material. A creator might upload audio containing an uncleared sample from a popular song. While it might fly under the radar for a while, Instagram's system could eventually detect the sample and mute all videos using that sound, including yours.

The safest way to use "original audio" is to literally create your own. A voiceover, music you composed yourself, or just ambient background noise is fully yours to use and can even become its own trend.

Final Thoughts

Navigating music copyright on Instagram boils down to one simple idea: either use the music Instagram gives you directly in the app, or use music you have explicit permission for from a royalty-free source. By sticking to these safe zones, you can focus on creating amazing content without the unwelcome surprise of a copyright notice.

Once you are confident with your content's sound and visuals, keeping a consistent publishing schedule across platforms is the next big step for growing your brand. With that in mind, our experience has been that creators need a clean, reliable way to manage their whole strategy. After planning your awesome Reels, we built Postbase to make it simple to see everything in one visual calendar, schedule your videos to go live at the perfect time, and analyze what’s actually working, so you spend less time wrestling with tools and more time creating.