How Can I Check Music For Plagiarism?

Music will most likely be part of your course if you are a literature or art student. Whether analyzing or learning its style, you will interact with the different song genres. And with music being universal, you may find yourself plagiarizing it either knowingly or unknowingly.

But how can you check music for plagiarism as a student? And are there any tools that can help you avoid being labeled a plagiarist when writing your essays and research paper? 

This article will show you the how and other related aspects of music plagiarism and help you avoid falling into the ditch of plagiarists.

How Can I Check Music For Plagiarism? 

There are several ways to check if a song exists or not. After carrying out your research or writing a piece of music, follow these tips to know if a song s original or not;

• Listen Closely

It might seem obvious, but one of the simplest ways to check for plagiarism is simply by listening closely to the song. Are there any unique elements? Is there anything that sounds like it was lifted from another song? If so, that could mean the piece or parts of it exists, and you must cite it and not pass it off as yours.

• Use a Music Software Program

Several software programs available today allow you to search through thousands of songs at once to see if yours was copied or vice-versa. These programs can scan hundreds of thousands of songs per second to compare them against one another using computer algorithms.

• Plagiarism Checker Software

Several online tools allow you to check whether a song is original. These tools check for similarities between two songs and determine whether they are too similar for coincidence. 

Some of these tools also analyze the lyrics and determine whether they contain similar words to those in other songs. If so, this could indicate possible plagiarism as well.

How Can You Avoid Plagiarism In Music?

To avoid plagiarism in music, you should pay attention to the following;

• Get permission

Before using someone else’s content, seek their permission or quote them. This will help you avoid the consequences of plagiarism if your professor notes you have used someone’s music but not acknowledged them.

• Do your research

The first thing you need to do is research the music’s composer or owner. This will help you when quoting it correctly.

• Don’t copy other people’s work

One way to avoid plagiarism in music is not to copy other people’s work and pose it as yours. Music is an art, and it is a very personal one. If you must copy, use quotation marks. You can also paraphrase but avoid doing it too closely. Instead, quote directly from a source when possible with proper citation

If your professor has asked you to compose a draft piece of music, you can avoid plagiarism through;

• Not using the same chords.
• Not using the same melody.
• Not using the same lyrics.
• Not using the same rhythm.

How Do You Check If A Song I Wrote Already Exists?

If you’re writing a song and want to know if it already exists, there are a few different ways to check.

The first is to do a Google search for your song title and your artist name. Ensure it’s an exact match since other variations might not appear in the results. If you find a song that is similar to yours, then you might have some legal issues to deal with. You can also search databases like BMI and ASCAP, which list songs registered with them.

Many websites allow users to upload music and find song matches automatically. MusicXray, MusicBrainz, SongKong and more. These sites provide free access to their services but only offer basic features unless you upgrade to one of their paid plans or memberships, so make sure before jumping in headfirst.

Another way is to check the Copyright Office website, which lists all songs registered. You can search by title, author and record label. If your title appears in this database, someone else has already written that song.

You can also search YouTube for videos of people singing their versions of your song idea. If any of them have published their videos online, they have had their music copyrighted.

Can You Accidentally Plagiarize A Song?

It is possible to accidentally plagiarize a song if you do not perform all the necessary searches to determine existing ones.

You might be surprised to learn that it is possible to plagiarize a song accidentally. A songwriter can plagiarize a piece when they are writing their song accidentally. This happens because many times, songs sound similar. This is because there are only so many ways that music can be written. So, if you are writing your original music and taking it from an existing song, there is a chance that you will accidentally use some of the same elements as other songs.

If you have been accused of plagiarizing a song and have done nothing wrong, then it may be time to contact your professor. However, you must prove that your work was not copied from another source. It is also vital to show that each element of your work was unique and original.

If you want to ensure that your research on music is original, we recommend checking for plagiarism before sending the paper to the professor. Plagiarizing a song will hurt its creators and their reputation and damage yours, especially if you are part of an established artist or band.