SoundCloud’s Copyright System Is Out of Control — How a Producer’s Own Beat Got Taken Down

I’m beyond frustrated right now. I just had one of my own beats deleted from SoundCloud — yes, the same platform where independent creators are supposed to be able to share their work freely.

Here’s what happened: I uploaded a free beat I made, just like I always do. But shortly after uploading, SoundCloud flagged it and deleted the track, claiming it matched an existing copyrighted song. The so-called “match”? A track made by someone using my beat — through Rapchat Distro, a legitimate distribution service I’d authorized them to use for their song.

That’s where the irony kicks in. I gave permission for that artist to use my beat, and now SoundCloud’s automated fingerprinting system treats their release as the “original” and my own beat as the copy. I filed a dispute explaining that I’m the original producer — I even mentioned that the song being used as an identifier came from a licensed collaboration. But my dispute was rejected.

So now, every time I or anyone else tries to upload that same beat, it automatically gets flagged and pulled down. What’s supposed to be a system to protect creators has backfired completely — punishing the very person who made the music in the first place.

This whole situation exposes a serious flaw in how automated copyright detection systems work. They’re blind to licensing agreements, author intent, and context. They only see waveforms — not relationships or permissions. And because distribution platforms like Rapchat or DistroKid feed tracks into fingerprint databases, those same fingerprints end up being weaponized against the original producers.

I understand the need to protect artists from content theft. But when the system punishes the creator and protects the derivative work instead, something has gone really wrong.

For producers like me — and probably many others — this isn’t just annoying. It’s dangerous. A falsely flagged beat can vanish overnight, drag your reputation into question, and make your catalog harder to share or monetize. Platforms need better dispute review processes, especially for independent creators who often operate without label backing or legal teams.

Until SoundCloud (and similar platforms) fix this, producers need to be careful about who uses their beats and how those tracks get distributed. Because once a fingerprint is in the system, reclaiming your own sound can become a nightmare.