Free tool: runs in your browser
Song credits and metadata record checklistfor each song you release
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. Check who wrote it, who holds what share, whether credits are in the files and the distributor entry, and the dated copies of lyrics, sessions and exports you can still show.
Nothing you tick is sent anywhere. This page is not legal advice and cannot tell you who owns a song or whether anyone removed your credits. The lawsuits it mentions are allegations, not findings.
Check the splits, the credits, the files and the copies you can still show
Tick what is true about the song and what you have saved. You get a shareable result and clear next steps. Nothing you tick is sent to TimeBinder.
Your choices stay on this page. Nothing you tick is sent anywhere or tied to your name.
Tick everything that is true about a song you have written or released
This looks at whether the writers, shares and publishers of a song are written down, whether the credits are embedded in the files and the distributor entry, and whether you hold dated copies of the lyrics, sessions and exports. It is a records list, not legal advice and not a finding about any dispute.
What to do now
What credit and metadata records should a songwriter keep for each release? The short answer
Keep a written split sheet that every writer has confirmed, the licences or terms of any sample or AI tool, the metadata you submitted to your distributor with the date, the original session and lyric drafts, and a note comparing the credits each streaming service shows with your split sheet. Two new lawsuits filed on 6 November 2026 allege, among other claims, that an AI music generator stripped songwriter and publisher credits from songs it collected. Those are allegations, not findings, and they involve large catalogues. They do show why credit and metadata records are the kind of thing that can matter later.
This checklist is not legal advice and cannot tell you who owns a song. A TimeBind of a file you already hold, such as a split sheet or a metadata export, can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show who wrote a song or that anyone removed a credit.
Why this came up in November 2026
On 6 November 2026, according to Music Business Worldwide on 10 November, the owners of Elvis Presley’s likeness and publishing rights, and Eight Mile Style, which co-publishes Eminem songs, filed separate lawsuits against the AI music generator Suno in a California federal court. The report says the Presley complaint also seeks damages for allegedly stripping songwriter and publisher credits, and that Eight Mile Style’s complaint makes a similar claim over 269 compositions. These are allegations in complaints and nothing in them has been decided. Fox Rothschild’s review of a separate suit over lyrics says that a case of this kind turns on how data was acquired, stored and “cleaned”, and advises rights holders to preserve metadata where feasible.
These cases are about very large catalogues, and this page does not suggest that an independent songwriter is in the same position. The practical point is smaller: written splits, embedded credits and dated copies are cheap to keep before a question arises.
Measured demand is visible. Checked on 13 November 2026, about 4:30 AM Australia/Brisbane. Google autocomplete returned “copyright management information”, “rights management information”, “removal of copyright management information” and “dmca copyright management information”, and “suno lawsuit” returned “suno lawsuit update”, “suno lawsuit news” and “suno lawsuit status”. A YouTube search found a video on the Suno lawsuits uploaded on 8 November 2026 with 26,481 views at the time of checking. Autocomplete shows what people type. It is not search volume.
Sources: Music Business Worldwide, 10 November 2026 and Fox Rothschild, 9 November 2026.
What this checklist does and does not do
The honest job of this page is to put the record-keeping in a sensible order, not to advise on any dispute. For splits, see the split sheet tool. See also the glossary entries for existed no later than and fingerprint.
| Part | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Splits and owners | Reminds you to write down who wrote the song and what share each person holds, with each writer’s written confirmation. | Decide who owns a song or settle a dispute. |
| Credits and metadata | Reminds you to embed credits in the files you send out and to compare what each service shows with your split sheet. | Check any service for you or restore a missing credit. |
| Originals and drafts | Reminds you to keep the session, stems and lyric drafts apart from the places you released the song. | Show who wrote the song. |
| A TimeBind of a file you already hold | Records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches, using a SHA-256 fingerprint made in your browser. The file stays on your device. | Prove authorship or that credits were removed on purpose. |
If your split sheet and session files are something you may need to show later
Before or after you release:
- Keep dated copies of the split sheet, the lyric drafts, the session project and the metadata you submitted.
- Make a TimeBind of each exact file you already hold. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
- Store the files, a note of who confirmed which credit and the certificate together, with the date of each export.
A TimeBind shows the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It cannot show who wrote a song.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you are registering the song with a society, see also the free AI-assisted song royalty registration checklist. It is not legal advice and cannot say whether a society will accept a song.
If the track uses samples, the free Sample clearance request tracker logs each sample, who usually needs to be asked and where each request stands. It does not say whether a sample needs clearing.
song credits and metadata record checklist: FAQ
Do the Suno lawsuits mean my credits are at risk?
Not necessarily. Those are allegations by large rights holders over large catalogues, and nothing in them has been decided. They are a reminder that written splits and embedded credits are simple records to keep.
What is a split sheet?
A written record of who wrote a song and what share each person holds. It works best when every writer confirms it in writing. See the split sheet tool on this site.
Can I embed credits in a file?
Many audio and lyric file formats allow a title, writer and contact field. Check what your formats allow, and keep a copy of what you submitted to your distributor.
Does a dated record prove I wrote a song?
No. A TimeBind of a file you already hold, such as a split sheet or a session export, can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show who wrote it.
Is this legal advice?
No. It runs in your browser and only helps you keep records. For advice on a dispute, talk to a qualified lawyer.
Is anything I tick sent to TimeBinder?
No. The checklist runs in your browser. Your ticks stay on the page.
Related guides and tools
- Split sheet toolWrite down who wrote what
- Spotify AI credits release checklistCredits and disclosure on one service
- AI music sound-alike release checklistRecords before release if a track may sound like another artist
- Bandcamp AI policy upload checklistRecords for another platform
- GlossaryPlain definitions of fingerprint, SHA-256 and existed no later than
- All free toolsPrivate, in-browser tools
Date the exact files you already hold
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of your splits, lyrics and session files, kept before any dispute.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.