How to Claim Music on Instagram

Using a trending song in your Instagram Reels can be the difference between a few hundred views and going viral, but what if you're the artist behind the music? Getting your own creations onto the platform and making sure you're getting credit is a whole different ballgame. This guide breaks down exactly what it means to claim your music on Instagram, walking you through the steps to get your songs in the official music library and how to manage your copyrights like a pro.

Understanding Music Rights on Instagram

First, let's clear up a common misconception. Unlike YouTube's Content ID system, where you can often "claim" a specific video using your audio, Instagram works differently. "Claiming" music on Instagram isn’t about flagging individual posts by users, it’s a proactive process that involves two main goals:

• Distribution: This is about getting your original music officially licensed and delivered to Instagram's Music Library. When you see the music sticker in Stories and Reels with millions of songs, this is the result of proper distribution. Your goal is to be in that library.
• Protection: This involves using a rights management system to automatically identify when your music is used in video uploads across the Meta ecosystem (Instagram and Facebook), allowing you to track its use and protect it from unauthorized exploitation.

Essentially, the best strategy isn't to chase down every single use of your song manually. It's to set up a system where your music is available for fans to use legally, and you have tools in place to monitor everything automatically.

How to Get Your Music on Instagram Stories and Reels

The single most important step to getting your music on Instagram is partnering with a digital music distributor. You cannot upload music directly to Instagram's library yourself. These distribution services act as the official middlemen who format your music and its data correctly and deliver it to hundreds of digital stores and social platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, and of course, Facebook and Instagram.

Step 1: Choose a Digital Distributor

Your distributor is your partner in this process, so choosing the right one matters. While there are many options, most artists find success with one of the big three. Each has a slightly different business model:

• DistroKid: Known for its simplicity and speed. You pay a low annual fee and can upload unlimited songs and albums. They're very popular with independent artists who release music frequently.
• TuneCore: Operates on a pay-per-release model (either a single or an album). They’ve been around a long time and are known for their robust service and detailed analytics.
• CD Baby: Charges a one-time fee per release and takes a small commission from your earnings. They are a good option if you want to pay once and not worry about recurring subscriptions.

When you're comparing services, make sure they specifically list delivery to "Facebook & Instagram" as part of their package. They all should, but it's always good practice to double-check. Consider their fee structure, royalty payout process, and customer support reputation before making a choice.

Step 2: Prepare Your Audio and Artwork

Once you’ve signed up with a distributor, it's time to get your assets ready for upload. Platforms have strict quality standards, so "good enough" won't cut it. Follow these guidelines for a smooth submission process:

• Audio File: Always upload the highest quality audio file you have. A WAV file at 16-bit, 44.1 kHz is the industry standard. While some distributors accept MP3s, they are compressed files, and a high-quality master will always sound better.
• Cover Art: Your artwork needs to be a perfect square, ideally 3000 x 3000 pixels, in JPG or PNG format and RGB color mode. Avoid putting social media handles, website URLs, or logos for streaming services on your cover art, as this can get your submission rejected.
• Metadata: This is all the information about your song. Be ready with your song title, artist name, songwriter(s) name, and genre. If you don't have ISRC codes (a unique identifier for each track), your distributor will usually generate them for you.

Step 3: Upload and Select Your Platforms

With your files ready, the next step is straightforward. You'll log in to your distributor’s dashboard, start a new release, and upload your audio file and cover art. Then, you'll fill in all the metadata. The most important part of this step is the distribution selection page.

You’ll see a long list of checkboxes for different stores and platforms. Make sure a box labeled "Facebook & Instagram" or "Meta" is checked. This single action is what tells your distributor to send your song to Instagram’s music library.

After you submit, your release goes into a review queue. This process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the distributor and how busy they are. Be patient!

Step 4: Search for Your Song in the Music Sticker

Once your distributor notifies you that your music has been delivered, it's time for the fun part. Open Instagram, create a new Story or Reel, and tap the music sticker. In the search bar, type your artist name or the song title. If everything went right, your track should appear, ready to be used - cover art and all!

When you select the song, you'll be able to scrub through it to select a 15-second clip (for Stories) or longer clips (for Reels) to feature in your content. Millions of other users can now do the same.

Managing Copyright and Unauthorized Use

"Okay, my music is in the library for people to use properly... but what about when someone just screen-records the audio and uses it without the sticker? Or uploads it to a video on their own?"

This is where rights management comes in. You have two main routes for tackling unauthorized use.

Using Instagram's Copyright Reporting Form

If you find a specific video that is infringing on your copyright - for example, a commercial business using your entire song as a soundtrack to a video advertisement without permission - you can report it directly. This is a manual process but effective for clear-cut violations.

1. Navigate to the post (Reel, video, etc.) in question.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (...) in the corner.
3. Select "Report."
4. Choose "Intellectual property violation" and follow the prompts in the Help Center.

You will need to provide details about your original work to prove ownership. This method is best for high-priority takedowns, but it's not a scalable solution for monitoring all of Instagram.

Advanced Rights Management Through Your Distributor

For more comprehensive protection, look into the "Content ID" or "Rights Management" services offered by your distributor. Many of them offer this as an add-on, allowing you to submit your music to Meta's Rights Manager system. This powerful tool functions much like YouTube's Content ID:

• It creates a "fingerprint" of your audio file.
• It automatically scans video uploads across Facebook and Instagram to find matches.
• When a match is found, it applies a rule that you get to establish beforehand.

Your options may include tracking the usage, blocking the video, or in some cases with Facebook videos featuring in-stream ads, even monetizing it. This is the professional, automated way to protect and "claim" your music at scale, giving you birds-eye-view analytics on where and how your music is being shared.

Pro Tips for Getting Your Music Heard on Instagram

Getting your music into the library is just the first step. The next is to encourage people to use it. Here are a few ways to get the ball rolling.

• Start a Trend Yourself: Don't wait for someone else to make your song go viral. Create a few Reels using the song yourself. It could be a simple dance, a lipsync video, a "how-to" related to the song's theme, or a filter combination that looks cool. Give people something easy to replicate.
• Highlight Using the Lyrics Feature: Most distributors also deliver lyrics, which can then auto-populate in time with your music in Instagram Stories and Reels. This is incredibly engaging. Make videos that point to or react to your own lyrics on screen. Viewers love it, and it helps them connect with your words.
• Engage With Every Fan Creation: Actively search for your song by tapping on the audio credit in Reels. When you find someone using your music, drop a like and a supportive comment. Better yet, share their Reel to your Story. This small gesture validates fans and encourages more people to create content with your track.
• Link It in Your Bio: Make it a one-step process for a new listener to find you elsewhere. Use your "link in bio" to point directly to your song on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms. That way, when someone discovers you through a 15-second clip, they know exactly where to go to hear the full version.

Final Thoughts

Supercharging your reach as an artist on Instagram isn't about chasing down infringements, but rather about setting up a proper system of distribution and protection. By partnering with a digital distributor, you can officially place your songs into the hands of millions of creators, and with Rights Manager tools, you're able to protect your work and see where it travels.

Once your music is on an app, the next piece of this puzzle is promoting it consistently so people hear it. Planning Reels to showcase your music, scheduling posts about your song, and responding to every new fan comment is a full-time job. With our own strategies, we plan and schedule all that content ahead of time with Postbase, so it runs on autopilot while we're tied up with other things. A clear visual calendar showing when videos will be posted makes getting a new song off the ground much more manageable, freeing up time to focus on engaging with a community instead of worrying about an upload schedule.