Key points to remember about proof of musical creation
- Keeping successive versions of a song allows you to trace its creation.
- The creative journal documents the designer's choices and any contributions made by AI.
- Qualified time stamping strengthens the evidence of the date and integrity of the files.
- A well-organised file of evidence helps authors defend their rights in the event of a dispute.
Why keep track of the steps in the creative process?
How can we explain, several months after a track is released, what the composer wrote and what an AI generated? A final audio file doesn’t always make it possible to determine this. It doesn’t show the experiments, the ideas that were discarded, or the changes that led to the final result. Preventive evidence in this case involves preserving records of the work as it is being created.
Detection tools scan the finished track for signs of AI-generated content. The creation log, meanwhile, provides additional insight by documenting the track’s development from the very first notes. This gives the artist the information needed to demonstrate their creative process and explain their contribution.
These elements may, in particular, address requests from ARIA, which—in cases of doubt regarding the role played by AI in the composition—may ask the rights holder to demonstrate that the track is eligible for inclusion in music charts [1].
How can we keep track of our musical work?
The log records the dates of the various stages, the saved files, successive versions, and the original audio tracks. It also includes the names of the software used as well as, where applicable, prompts given to an AI and the results obtained. Work files from Ableton, Logic, or Pro Tools can help trace the track’s production process.
Let's take the fictional example of a musician who spends several weeks composing a song:
| Date | Creation Phase |
|---|---|
| January 4 | Recording the first piano melody. |
| Upcoming Weeks | Writing the lyrics. |
| March 8 | Voice recording. |
| March 10 | Using AI software to create secondary harmonies. |
| March 16 | Automatic separation of certain tracks, followed by the musician's refinement of the mix. |
The different versions reveal the creator’s choices. A sentence is rewritten, a melody is altered, an arrangement is chosen. An AI suggestion may be rejected in favor of another solution. By preserving these steps, the artist documents the personal decisions that have shaped their work.
How can we date these traces without undermining the creation story?
To be admissible as evidence, this log must include a systematic timestamp for each recorded step. The steps in the process are recorded progressively and automatically. This tracking makes it possible to date successive versions and to reconstruct the work’s development, including its corrections, selections, and abandoned ideas.
Evidency has developed a tool for logging the steps in the creative process that integrates with a software solution and is linked to a qualified timestamping service, thereby strengthening the evidentiary value of the recorded data.
A digital fingerprint is calculated from the submitted music file. This fingerprint is linked to the date and time of the timestamp. The combination of the digital fingerprint and the timestamp makes it possible to verify the integrity of the dated version. Thus, every step in the creation of the work is documented in real time, and the records are preserved over the long term [2].
To be widely adopted, the logging feature must remain easy to use and integrate seamlessly in the background with the musician’s usual tools. A new recording, a significant change, or the introduction of an AI-generated element can automatically trigger the creation of a record. The tool can also incorporate manually added elements when they were created on another medium [2].
How can we distinguish between human choices and the contributions of AI?
Some generative AI tools include metadata that identifies their involvement. Music creators are therefore strongly encouraged to transparently document their use of AI in the creation of a work, using a tool such as Evidency’s creation log.
The history thus established makes it possible to understand the exact role of AI in the creative process and to document human artistic choices. It is indeed these choices that help give the work its identity and establish its originality—a prerequisite for its protection under copyright law.
As AI plays an increasingly significant role in music creation, being able to demonstrate human contribution is becoming a major challenge for songwriters and composers. Gathering evidence should therefore not wait until a dispute arises. By preserving and timestamping the stages of their work throughout the creative process, artists have concrete evidence to have their contribution recognised and to defend their rights.
Sources
[1] ARIA, “AI and the ARIA Charts — What You Need to Know,” Official FAQ, sections on the AI usage disclosure and requests for supporting documentation. https://www.aria.com.au/aria-chart-changes-faqs
[2] Jean Albert, “From Creation to Evidence: Timestamping as a New Tool for Creative Credibility,” special issue on Evidence and Law, Village de la Justice / LEGI TEAM, 2026, pp. 18–22. https://www.village-justice.com/articles/dossier-preuve-droit-entre-conformite-contentieux-preuve-change-dimension,58525.html
[3] Munich Regional Court I, “GEMA v. SUNO Judgment,” Press Release No. 16 of July 31, 2026, Case No. 42 O 763/25. https://www.justiz.bayern.de/gerichte-und-behoerden/landgericht/muenchen-1/presse/2026/16.php
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