How to provide proof of a licence
→ Licences and licence agreements – what a licence actually is
→ Exclusive vs. non-exclusive licence – the key difference
→ What a proper licence agreement must include – a checklist for a valid agreement
→ Sort out your licence in advance, not when a problem arises – what to check before release
→ Request for proof of (e.g. licence) rights – why we are writing to you and how to respond
If we contact you because a match with someone else's content has been detected in your recording and we ask for proof of a licence, this article explains exactly what we need from you, in what form and, on the other hand, what is not enough. Read carefully – this is not a formality.
If you don't provide a licence, or the licence you provide does not meet the requirements, distribution of your recording will not be possible. There are no exceptions and no deadline extensions “on your word”. If you are not sure whether your licence is in order, read What a proper licence agreement must include – and check it before you send us anything.
What we need from you
Send us the licence in reply to our email – if you also have a task for it in the Tasks section, do not change the email subject. In addition, you upload the licence for a backing track from the internet (beat, instrumental, sample pack) yourself, directly to the recording in Artists Bez Labelu, in the Track origin section as a PDF of up to 15 MB – even later via Edit track. Without it, the release will not go into distribution. We accept only the following forms:
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PDF of the licence agreement signed by both parties The ideal option. The document must be legible, complete and contain all the essentials – see the checklist in the article What a proper licence agreement must include.
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Transaction confirmation from a beat marketplace (Beatstars, Airbit, etc.) The agreement automatically generated by the platform + proof of payment. It must be clear: Who bought it, what they bought, the scope of the licence and when. Check whether the licence tier you purchased actually allows commercial distribution.
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Email correspondence with the producer Only if it clearly shows the producer's consent to the specific manner of use (digital distribution, worldwide, commercial). The email addresses of both parties, the date and the content of the agreement must be visible. “Yeah, go ahead and release it” without any further details is not enough. In essence, the email must set out the most important parts of a licence agreement.
What is not enough at all
| We do not accept this | Why it is not enough |
|---|---|
| A screenshot of a YouTube video “Here's proof that it's on YT” |
A YouTube video is not a licence agreement. The fact that it is there proves nothing – not even that you have the rights to the beat used. |
| A screenshot of a chat conversation A photo of a message from Instagram or WhatsApp |
A screenshot can easily be edited. In addition, a message usually doesn't show the scope of the licence, the territory or the right to sublicense. |
| A link to SoundCloud / YouTube / social media “The beat is freely available on his channel” |
Being freely available on the internet does not mean being free to use. The author may have published the content without any licence for third parties. |
| A paper contract (physical copy) A physical sheet of paper or a photo of it |
We do not archive paper documents. We need a PDF – ideally signed electronically, or at least scanned in legible quality as a PDF file, not as a photo. |
| “It's free for profit, surely that's enough” | It's not enough. See the section below – “free for profit” is much more complicated than it looks. |
| A verbal agreement or a claim without proof “The producer said I could, trust me” |
Without written proof, we have no way of verifying whether the agreement actually took place and on what terms. Verbal consent is practically useless in the event of a dispute. |
“Free for profit” – watch out, it's a trap
The “free for profit” label, e.g. on a YouTube channel or in a beat description, looks tempting – but in reality it is almost always shorthand that hides a whole range of conditions. These usually only become visible after you expand the video description, follow a link to the agreement in the profile bio or visit the producer's external website. Typically, you will find things like:
- A limit on the number of streams – e.g. “free for profit up to 100,000 streams, then you must purchase a full licence”.
- An obligation to credit the producer in the title – “prod. XYZ” in the title (which platforms reject).
- No monetisation on YouTube – the producer keeps the Content ID claims.
- No physical distribution or synchronisation.
- An obligation to register the song with a specific publisher.
- Automatic expiry of the licence after a certain period or number of plays.
- No sublicensing – i.e. no distribution through anyone, including us.
Taking a beat labelled “free for profit” and distributing it straight away without reading the terms is a legal gamble. Always read the entire agreement – and if no agreement exists, don't use the beat.
“Free for non-commercial use” – That doesn't work with us
If a beat or any other content is licensed only for non-commercial use (e.g. Creative Commons BY-NC or a similar condition), you cannot distribute it through Bez Labelu – or through any other distributor.
Digital distribution is by its very nature always commercial or pursued with a commercial aim: The recording is monetised through streaming, protected through Content ID, or both. Even if you think you are “just protecting the content” and don't expect any income – from the licence's point of view, it is still commercial use. A non-commercial licence is simply not enough for distribution.
A quick check using AI
Nowadays there are free AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok and others) that can quickly check an agreement for you. Just paste in the text of the agreement and ask: “Is this licence agreement valid for the commercial digital distribution of music? Does it contain all the essentials?” If the agreement has major shortcomings, the AI will spot them – free of charge, within a few seconds. If the AI tells you that the agreement is problematic, believe it. Then send us the corrected agreement. Of course, bear in mind that AI is not a lawyer – even if the AI tells you it's OK, it may not be…