I was looking for free music to use - after delving into the dark corners of the internet I found a license that suits me perfectly: CC0. Having found music with such a license, I went to check if it really had this license. I spent hours checking each individual track on different sites. I dug through tons of different information, used the Shazam app, and everything seemed OK - real CC0. The last step of checking was the YouTube ContentID test. I uploaded a video of a black screen with all these tracks to YouTube, and it still reported two of them - “Adventure - Rafael Krux” and “Assassin - Rafael Krux” (it ignored all the other 3 or 4 tracks by the same author, and highlighted these 2). I didn’t understand how it was possible, because absolutely all sources indicated that these tracks were under the same open license, the terms of which I did not violate (because there were almost none, haha). I filed an appeal, and the claim was rejected. Then I decided to check again (whether YouTube removed this complaint forever, or only for one specific video), uploaded the same video a second time, and… Again, the same problem. Result: YouTube removed the complaint, but did not stop throwing it on new videos.
It would seem that the case is closed, it was just a bug, however, not everything is so clear, and although YouTube itself actually admitted the fact that these tracks had a CC0 license, everything turned out to be a little more complicated:
On one of the sites where these tracks were posted, for some reason it was not posted under the official account, although there was another account with the nickname “Rafel Krux” (by the way, such a YouTube channel also exists). Also in the comments under one of these tracks (and for some reason the track was posted under a different account) people also complained that the YouTube video hosting service was sending them a claim for copyright infringement. As for this author’s YouTube channel - there were simply no tracks, or even hints that he was releasing his tracks under that very open CC0 license. And then I just started going crazy…
The only reliable option for me was to contact the original author on Twitter (site X) and ask him if this track was his, or if there was a second composer with the same nickname, since these tracks were not on his accounts.
BUT, hope was dashed, because his personal messages were closed. And finally, as the last straw, the fact that the second author of the tracks under this license, although he had no problems with ContentID (his tracks did not), but on his (or not his, just the same name - “Brian Teoh”) YouTube channel there was also no hint of any of his tracks, and on his website (he has a website, hmm, commendable) too, as well as any hints that he ever made at least one piece of music with this very license.
What do we have in the end:
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I have several tracks that are listed as free for use on all sites.
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One of the two authors has problems with ContentID, but if you appeal, they will remove the complaint from you, but not forever, but for one time, and each time you will have to appeal again and again.
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Both authors did not advertise information about these tracks open for free use, and about the tracks that I found. It is simply impossible to write private messages to clarify the whole situation (although it may be possible on other accounts, although it is unlikely)
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Despite point two, there are rumors on the SoundCloud website that the tracks were stolen - neither Shazam nor the original authors have confirmed anything like this. And even the opposite - they show with all their actions that they have no idea about these works, and Shazam stupidly confuses them with other not very similar tracks.
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The “real authors” may not be real at all, since the tracks were not posted under their official accounts, and the accounts with these tracks are listed under other nicknames, although the names of the “real authors” are still written in the titles
Write your theories, assumptions and advice below, I will definitely read everything and answer