I thought of a melody last night, but realized today it was essentially the start to a chorus of another song. I have some ideas on how to change it enough to not rip it off, is that good? And does that ever happen to you?
sure, it happens to everyone. if you've got a great simple melody, chances are many people have used it before. depending on how distinctive it is, it may be fair game, like there are certain 3-note patterns that are so common they are fair for anyone to use because they've already been used so many times. each case is different, just use your best judgement. either way, you probably won't have any problems unless you get a top 10 hit, and if you do get a top 10 hit, everyone will try to sue you regardless of whether you copied anyone