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Co-founder Hina Rizvi on why blockchain could finally end the age-old struggle over who owns a song — and empower creators worldwide.
For entertainment lawyer and tech innovator Hina Rizvi, protecting creativity isn’t just a profession — it’s a mission. With over fifteen years in law and dual qualifications in New York and Ontario, Rizvi has spent her career at the intersection of innovation and justice. Through her firm, Rizvi Legal, she has long advocated for accessibility and fairness in entertainment, intellectual property, and blockchain law. Now, with her latest venture, SongProof, she’s bringing that same passion to the global music industry.
“SongProof is about giving artists back control — no matter where in the world they create,” Rizvi says. The platform uses blockchain technology to give musicians a simple, affordable way to prove authorship and ownership of their work — an innovation that could reshape the balance of power between artists, labels, and streaming platforms. Already hailed by educators and legal professionals as “the missing piece between creativity and protection,” SongProof is transforming how artists safeguard their art in the digital era.
Rizvi’s lightbulb moment came when she realised that blockchain’s most fundamental feature — immutability — could solve one of music’s oldest problems: proving ownership. In traditional copyright disputes, creators often spend years battling over who wrote what, when.
“Blockchain’s inability to be altered retroactively makes it an incredibly powerful form of evidence,” she explains. “Once something is timestamped on the blockchain, it’s there forever. That’s a game-changer.”
For those unfamiliar with blockchain, Rizvi likens SongProof to sealing your song in an envelope, stamping it with the exact date and time, and placing it somewhere no one can ever tamper with. “It’s your universal post office in outer space,” she laughs. “Blockchain allows us to store and verify data globally, providing artists with an irrefutable receipt of ownership.”
Unlike traditional copyright registration — which can be costly, slow, and intimidating — SongProof offers instant, borderless protection that complements rather than replaces official filings. Within minutes, artists can upload their song, input split sheet details, and receive a timestamped certificate anchored to the Bitcoin and Polygon blockchains. That certificate becomes verifiable proof of authorship — no legal jargon, no red tape.
Privacy, Rizvi emphasises, is at the heart of the platform.
“We store your music file on our platform as part of your music catalogue; however, there is no functionality of anyone sharing your actual music file from the platform,” she notes. “Instead, we create a cryptographic fingerprint — a unique digital hash — that’s anchored to the blockchain. The content stays private while the proof remains public. Your music file can only be shared if you choose to do so from your own server or device.”
The system’s design also ensures global applicability. Blockchain timestamps are already recognised as evidence of authorship in many jurisdictions, including the US, UK, Canada, and the European Union. As courts and lawmakers continue to adapt, Rizvi believes that level of recognition will only grow stronger.
SongProof’s infrastructure reflects the team’s deep commitment to both innovation and reliability. The platform utilises Polygon for storing song data and split sheets, which are then timestamped on Bitcoin for maximum decentralisation and security. “When your creative rights are on the line,” Rizvi says, “you want to rely on the most tamper-resistant system possible — and Bitcoin remains the gold standard.”
Affordability is another pillar of the SongProof mission. Traditional copyright filings can cost hundreds of dollars and take months to process. SongProof, by contrast, offers free and low-cost options designed to empower independent and emerging artists. “We wanted to eliminate the financial barriers that stop so many creatives from protecting their work,” she explains. “Every artist deserves access to legal protection, not just those signed to major labels.”
Rizvi’s advice to young musicians is simple but urgent: protect everything you create. “Even your demos,” she insists. “You never know which version will matter later. SongProof gives you the ability to validate your creation from day one.”
That message also addresses one of the biggest misconceptions about copyright — that creating something automatically protects it. While that’s true in principle, Rizvi warns that without documentation, proving ownership can be almost impossible. “Early documentation is one of the smartest moves any artist can make,” she says. “It’s your first line of defence and an essential complement to formal copyright registration.”
As for what’s next, SongProof’s roadmap is ambitious. The team is developing integrations with music platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud, as well as collaborative tools for bands and co-writers. Upcoming features include automation around split sheet management and shared creative rights tracking. “Our goal is to make protecting your music as seamless and intuitive as making it,” Rizvi says.
Asked what inspires her, Rizvi doesn’t hesitate. “Every artist who’s ever been told their work didn’t matter — and kept creating anyway,” she smiles. “Their resilience fuels everything we build.”
In a world where music travels faster than ever, SongProof stands as both guardian and ally — using technology not to replace creativity, but to ensure it’s finally respected, credited, and protected.
www.songproof.com
Instagram: @SongProof
