DistroLock

DistroLock is a free service provided by DistroKid that protects your original music from unauthorized distribution on streaming platforms and digital music stores. Its primary method is acoustic fingerprinting, which creates a unique digital identifier for each track you upload. This fingerprint is then stored and used to check future uploads for potential copyright infringement.

How DistroLock Works

• Upload & Fingerprinting: You upload your original song to DistroLock, which instantly generates a unique acoustic fingerprint. The original audio is deleted from DistroLock’s servers after fingerprinting for privacy and security.
• Music Locking: The service marks your song as “locked” in its database. When distributors or streaming services check incoming uploads, they can refer to the DistroLock database to see if a track is already locked—which helps prevent others from uploading your song as their own.
• Third-Party Protection: DistroLock collaborates with major audio identification services like Audible Magic, YouTube Content ID, and AcoustID. These platforms specialize in detecting music, including altered versions (e.g., pitch-shifted, sped up). Many prominent platforms—such as YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook, Vimeo, and Twitch—use these services to verify uploads and block unauthorized releases.
• APIs for Integrators: DistroLock provides a free API that allows music distributors, streaming platforms, and social networks to cross-reference uploads with its fingerprint database. This is intended as an industry-wide solution for preventing music piracy and impersonation.

Benefits for Artists

• Prevents fraud and leaks: Registering your music before it’s released can preemptively block fake artists or impersonators from uploading and monetizing your tracks.
• You retain control: Only you can unlock or authorize your music for release on platforms that respect the DistroLock database.
• Free to use: There is no charge for artists to register their music with DistroLock, making it accessible to musicians at any level.

Technical Details & Limitations

• Detection of edits: Fingerprinting technology is robust enough to identify your track even if someone alters the audio (such as changing speed or pitch).
• Integration varies: Not every music service currently consults the DistroLock or related fingerprint databases. The effectiveness depends on cooperation from platforms and the sophistication of their implementation.
• No deletion: As of now, you can only lock or unlock audio you’ve uploaded—deleting fingerprints isn’t a user-facing feature.
• Ownership requirement: You must fully own or control all rights to any music you upload. Registering someone else’s music is prohibited and can have legal consequences.

In summary, DistroLock is a proactive and free safeguard designed primarily for independent musicians, labels, and studios to protect original audio content from unauthorized uploads, leaks, and copyright infringement across a broad spectrum of streaming and digital music services.