Your music can travel much further than your Spotify artist page.

It might appear in:

  • YouTube uploads
  • Shorts
  • Reels
  • TikTok videos
  • Podcasts
  • Livestreams
  • Games
  • Advertising
  • Fan videos

Finding those uses can reveal both marketing opportunities and missing revenue.

Start with YouTube

Search:

  • Artist name
  • Song title
  • Lyrics
  • Common spelling variations

Then look beyond exact matches.

Fans may upload your audio without using the correct title.

Use Content ID where appropriate

For eligible recordings, YouTube Content ID can automatically detect matches at far greater scale than manual searching.

This is especially useful when hundreds or thousands of videos potentially use the same track.

Search short-form platforms

Look for your:

  • Official sound
  • Artist name
  • Song title
  • Lyric phrases
  • Common hashtags

Pay particular attention to which section of the song creators use.

That can show you the strongest short-form hook.

Separate usage from infringement

Not every appearance of your music is unauthorised.

Some uses may be:

  • Properly licensed
  • Covered by platform agreements
  • Monetised through your rights partner
  • Created by collaborators
  • Permitted under another agreement

Investigate before issuing complaints.

Use discovery as marketing intelligence

Imagine 50 videos suddenly use the same 15 seconds.

That tells you something.

Create more promotional content around that section.

Ask:

  • Who is using it?
  • Which countries?
  • What type of videos?
  • What demographic?
  • Which lyric?
  • Which mood?

Usage tracking can become audience research.

Too Lost has now split “Usage Discovery” into a separate product feature, demonstrating how rights discovery itself is becoming something distributors actively sell to artists.

Keep evidence

If you believe a use is genuinely unauthorised, document:

  • URL
  • Date
  • Screenshot
  • Account
  • Exact song
  • Ownership evidence

Do not rely on the content remaining online forever.

Make legitimate usage easier

Sometimes the best strategy isn’t stopping creators.

It’s making sure they use the officially delivered version of your music.

That can improve attribution and potential monetisation while keeping the promotional benefit.