How Brands Are Getting Copyright Strikes — and How to Avoid Them

Copyright strikes used to be something brands rarely worried about. Typically, they were associated with individual creators, piracy, or obvious misuse of content. Today, however, that’s no longer the case.

Brands of all sizes are now receiving copyright warnings, takedowns, muted videos, and even legal claims — often without realizing they’ve done anything wrong. As social media platforms tighten enforcement and rights holders increase monitoring, copyright strikes have become a growing risk for marketing teams.

In most cases, the issue isn’t visuals or copy. It’s music. In this read, learn how brands are triggering copyright strikes on social media through unlicensed music, and how music audits can help prevent takedowns, claims, and legal risk.

Why Copyright Strikes Are Increasing

Social platforms have changed. Music rights holders have changed. And brand content has changed too. Short-form video has made music central to marketing, while platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have become some of the largest distributors of recorded music in the world. In response, record labels and publishers are using sophisticated detection tools to track where and how their music appears online — especially when brands are involved.

Unlike individual creators, brands represent commercial value. When a song appears in content that promotes a product, service, or business, rights holders are far more likely to act.

How Brands Are Accidentally Triggering Copyright Strikes

Most copyright strikes don’t come from deliberate misuse. They come from assumptions that no longer hold up.

One of the most common mistakes is relying on platform music libraries. While Instagram and TikTok provide music for personal users, those tracks are not licensed for commercial use. When a brand account posts a video with trending music — or boosts a post that includes it — that use can fall outside the platform’s licensing terms.

Influencer campaigns create another major risk. A creator may legally use popular music in personal content, but once a post becomes sponsored, tagged, or paid, the music becomes part of an advertisement. In these cases, brands can be held responsible even if the content lives on the influencer’s account.

Reposting also causes problems. When a brand reshapes influencer or user-generated content onto its own channels, any music in that video must be licensed for commercial use — even if it was originally posted legally.

Check out our complete guide on music licensing for brands here.

What a Copyright Strike Actually Looks Like for Brands

Copyright enforcement doesn’t always start with a lawsuit. More often, brands encounter early warning signs that escalate over time. This can include muted audio on posts, takedown notices from platforms, or notifications that content violates copyright policy. In more serious cases, brands receive cease-and-desist letters or legal demands from rights holders.

Beyond legal exposure, strikes can damage campaign performance, disrupt influencer relationships, and weaken trust with platforms — all while creating internal friction between marketing and legal teams.

How Brands Can Avoid Copyright Strikes

Avoiding strikes starts with visibility. Brands need to know what music is being used across their entire content ecosystem — including legacy posts, influencer campaigns, and paid ads. This is where proactive music audits have become essential. Rather than waiting for platforms or rights holders to flag content, an audit identifies risk early by scanning where and how music is used, and whether it’s properly licensed for commercial use.

At MatchTune, our music audit solution gives brands a clear picture of their exposure. We map music usage across social channels and partnerships, identify high-risk tracks, and provide actionable steps to remediate issues before enforcement occurs. When brands understand their risk, they can replace or relicense music, update guidelines for creators, and build safer workflows for future campaigns.

The Takeaway

Copyright strikes aren’t random — and they aren’t going away. They’re the result of a rapidly changing enforcement landscape colliding with fast-moving social media marketing.

Brands that continue to rely on assumptions about platform music, influencer content, or “organic” posts will remain exposed. Those that invest in clarity, auditing, and proactive compliance can avoid disruption while continuing to scale creatively.

MatchTune helps brands stay ahead of copyright risk — protecting campaigns, creators, and reputations before strikes happen.