AI Music & Sound Copyright Checker

    Inspiration:
    YouTube and Twitch are tightening their scrutiny of copyrighted music. Content creators often worry that background tracks or sound effects will trigger copyright strikes, leading to takedowns or demonetisation.

    Target Customers:
    YouTube creators, game streamers, social-media agencies—anyone who needs to publish video or audio publicly.

    Pain Points:
    It is hard to know whether a piece of music is truly safe for commercial use. Even tracks downloaded from so-called "royalty-free libraries" can generate claims after ownership changes or abuse. Creators need a fast, reliable way to check whether the audio in their video poses copyright risk before they upload.

    Solution (Micro-SaaS):
    An online audio-copyright checker. Users upload their video or audio file; AI extracts fingerprints for every musical segment and compares them against a vast database of registered works (Audible Magic, ACRCloud). A clear, plain-English risk report is returned.

    MVP Core Features:

    • File upload: Accept MP4 video or MP3 audio.
    • AI audio-fingerprinting: Backend generates robust hashes (Shazam-style).
    • Copyright-database match: Compare fingerprints against large databases such as Audible Magic or ACRCloud.
    • Risk report: Show whether copyrighted music is detected; if yes, list track name, artist, rights-holder, and a traffic-light risk level (High / Medium / Low).

    Development Effort (Tech): Medium. Generation models aren't needed; reliability depends on integrating mature fingerprint APIs.

    • Core tech:
      • Audio-fingerprint API: Integrate a proven service such as ACRCloud API or Audible Magic API—building a proprietary DB is unrealistic.
      • Workflow: Backend handles file upload, calls third-party API, and formats results for end-users.

    Traffic Acquisition & Validation (SEO Enhanced):

    • Step 1 – Validation
      • Fear-solving landing page: Headline: "Avoid Copyright Strikes. Check Your Video for Copyrighted Music Before You Upload."
      • Free daily check: Offer one free scan per day so creators can experience the value.
      • Community outreach: Participate in r/youtubers, r/twitch threads about copyright warnings and present the tool as a pre-upload solution.
    • Step 2 – SEO Growth
      • Keyword strategy:
        • Head terms: "copyright music checker", "YouTube copyright checker", "free music copyright check".
        • Long-tails: "how to know if a song is copyrighted before using it", "Twitch VOD music checker", "safe music for YouTube videos", "ACRCloud online tool".
      • Site architecture:
        • /blog:
          • Legal primers: "A Simple Guide to Fair Use and Copyright on YouTube".
          • Platform policies: "Understanding Twitch's New Music Rules in 2024".

    Potential Competitors & Analysis:

    • Main competitors: YouTube Content ID (built-in), ACRCloud, Audible Magic (B2B).
    • Competitors' strengths:
      • Content ID is native to YouTube and the final arbiter.
      • ACRCloud/Audible Magic own authoritative databases.
    • Competitors' weaknesses:
      • Reactive: Content ID only scans after upload—too late.
      • B2B focus: Database providers do not serve consumers directly; integration is complex.
    • Our Opportunity:
      • Pre-upload prevention: Core value is prevention—find and fix issues before any damage.
      • Friendly UI: Wrap enterprise APIs in a simple SaaS for individual creators.
      • Education & empowerment: Through blog + tool, build a trusted brand that demystifies copyright.