How do I know whether a song is protected by copyright?

Music is protected by copyright as soon as it constitutes a personal intellectual creation. In the case of musical works, the threshold of originality is met even where there is only a minimal degree of melodic, harmonic or rhythmic originality. Protection arises automatically upon the creation of the work, without the need for registration or notification. Copyright expires 70 years after the death of the author. Until then, any use generally requires authorisation.

Good to know: You can identify the authors of a work using the GEMA repertoire search, provided their works form part of the GEMA repertoire.