Listening Copy Guide
Recipient-specific audio watermarking explained
Recipient-specific audio watermarking places a different identifier into the audio delivered to each recipient. If a copy later appears somewhere it should not, that identifier can be checked against the sender's delivery records.
Updated 1 October 2026
What changes for the recipient
Very little. The recipient receives a normal private listening link and listens in the browser. If downloads are enabled, their file contains the same recipient-specific identifier as the streamed copy.
What the sender can trace
The identifier points to a delivery record, not to a person's identity by itself. The sender can see which delivery received the detected identifier and investigate from there.
What watermarking does not do
Watermarking cannot prevent every leak, prove who personally shared a file or replace good access control. Detection also depends on how severely the audio has been altered. It is best used alongside individual links, sensible download permissions, expiry and revocation.
When it is useful
Recipient-specific watermarking is most useful for unreleased masters, advance albums, sync pitches, label submissions, press previews and any other delivery where multiple outside recipients need access before release.
Listening Copy creates each watermarked delivery privately and validates detected identifiers against actual delivery records.
Private music sharing that stays simple for the recipient.
Try recipient-specific watermarking