Quick Answer: Protection Is Documentation Plus Friction
You cannot stop every unauthorized download, but you can make theft harder and enforcement easier. Use producer tags, keep dated project files, publish clear licenses, store receipts, and avoid giving away untagged WAVs before payment.
Build Proof of Authorship
- Project archive: Keep DAW sessions, stems, exports and creation dates.
- Public timestamp: Upload previews to a platform that records dates.
- Contracts: Send every buyer a written license, even for cheap leases.
Add Practical Friction
Use tasteful tags in public previews, lower preview bitrate if needed, and send clean files only after payment. Do not rely on tags alone; documentation is what lets you enforce rights.
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