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Adding hidden tags to your dub's ID3-tag (piracy protection)

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 2:53 pm
by halcyon
Yes, I know: "Only send your dubs out to other producers/DJs you know and trust."
But even if you do, it's usually only a matter of time before your shit starts leaking anyway.

That's why I was wondering if it's possible to add some kind of (hidden) tag to your MP3 file's ID3-tag, so you can trace it back to the source.
Obviously, this can't be something simple like putting 'Track for Kode9' in the lyrics field, but something only an advanced ID3-tag editor could read and edit.
Of course, this method isn't exactly waterproof. If you can put the tag in there, someone else can obviously erase it .. but that's why it's important to not make it very apparent you 'watermarked' your file.

That way, if you ever come across one of your unreleased tracks on a file sharing / torrent website or whatever, just download it, check out who's in the hidden tag and cut that person off from your future dub supply.

Anything like this possible?

Re: Adding hidden tags to your dub's ID3-tag (piracy protect

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 4:26 pm
by seckle
People watermark dubs by very specific things now. Changing the snare,cymbal,hi hat sound at a certain bar in the tune...changing how long the intro is...etc. I don't think there's any hidden id tagging available.

Re: Adding hidden tags to your dub's ID3-tag (piracy protect

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:57 pm
by halcyon
seckle wrote:People watermark dubs by very specific things now. Changing the snare,cymbal,hi hat sound at a certain bar in the tune...changing how long the intro is...etc. I don't think there's any hidden id tagging available.
Haha wow, are you serious? That's even taking it further

Re: Adding hidden tags to your dub's ID3-tag (piracy protect

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:44 am
by 3rdeye
you can use Audacity to mark custom tags that could only be detected if the file was reloaded into Audacity, I've done that, it works ;)

Re: Adding hidden tags to your dub's ID3-tag (piracy protect

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:14 am
by halcyon
3rdeye wrote:you can use Audacity to mark custom tags that could only be detected if the file was reloaded into Audacity, I've done that, it works ;)
Oh wow, cool. Could you tell me how, please?

Re: Adding hidden tags to your dub's ID3-tag (piracy protect

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:39 am
by Phigure
seckle wrote:People watermark dubs by very specific things now. Changing the snare,cymbal,hi hat sound at a certain bar in the tune...changing how long the intro is...etc. I don't think there's any hidden id tagging available.
that's awesome!

Re: Adding hidden tags to your dub's ID3-tag (piracy protect

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:33 am
by Phyalow
You could open it up in a hex editor and change a couple of bytes in the padding buffer...

Re: Adding hidden tags to your dub's ID3-tag (piracy protect

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 10:49 am
by syrup
halcyon wrote:
3rdeye wrote:you can use Audacity to mark custom tags that could only be detected if the file was reloaded into Audacity, I've done that, it works ;)
Oh wow, cool. Could you tell me how, please?


When you're exporting an mp3 a box saying tag editor should pop up. Then you just write in the blank fields