Programmable distribution lets you control who can stream a track. Instead of making every track publicly streamable, you designate one or more wallet addresses as access authorities. Only requests signed by those addresses are accepted by the protocol. Your server holds the key and decides who gets access.

How It Works

When you create a track, you set access_authorities to the wallet address(es) that can authorize stream requests. Validator nodes enforce this: if a stream request is unsigned or signed by an address not in access_authorities, the node returns 401 and rejects it.

Your access server holds the private key for one of those addresses. When a user requests a stream, your server:

1. Verifies the user is allowed (e.g. logged in, in the right region, has paid, follows you)
2. Fetches the stream URL from the Audius API
3. Signs a short-lived signature in the gate-release-access format
4. Redirects the user to the stream URL with the signature attached

The node validates your signature, confirms the signer is in the track’s access_authorities, and serves the audio. Without your server’s signature, direct requests to the node fail.

Access Authorities

access_authorities is an array of Ethereum addresses. Any one of them can sign to authorize a stream. Common patterns:

• Single signer — One address (e.g. your server’s wallet). Simplest and most common.
• Multiple signers — Several addresses for redundancy or delegated access.
• Empty or omitted — The track is public; no signature required.

Tracks with access_authorities are gated. Tracks without it are public and can be streamed by anyone with the URL.

Example: Gated Upload

The gated-upload example implements programmable distribution with geo-gating.

• POST /create-track — Creates a track with access_authorities: [signerAddress]. The server’s wallet is the only authority.
• GET /stream/:trackId — Checks the client’s IP via ip-api.com. If the client is in ALLOWED_COUNTRIES, fetches the track from the SDK, signs the stream URL, and redirects. Otherwise returns 403.
• GET /my-region — Returns the client’s IP, country, city, and whether they’re allowed (for UI feedback).

• OAuth login, upload via SDK (uploadTrackFiles, then create-track with the server), and streaming via GET /stream/:trackId (server redirects to signed URL).

Run the server from packages/web/examples/gated-upload/server with AUDIUS_API_KEY, AUDIUS_BEARER_TOKEN, and SIGNER_PRIVATE_KEY in .env. See the README for full setup.

What You Can Build

Programmable distribution supports many use cases where you want to gate streaming behind your own logic.

Geo-Gated Releases

Only allow streaming from certain countries. The gated-upload example uses ip-api.com to resolve IP → country and blocks requests outside ALLOWED_COUNTRIES. Useful for licensing, regional rollouts, or compliance.

Private Groups

Restrict streams to members of a private community. Your access server checks whether the user is logged in and in the group (e.g. Discord role, invite list, subscription). Only then does it sign the stream URL.

Frontend-Gated Releases

Limit streaming to users who arrive through your app or frontend. Your server can verify a session, referrer, or token before signing. Direct links from other sites fail without that check.

Paid / Premium Content

Require payment, subscription, or NFT ownership before signing. Your server verifies the purchase or membership and signs only for eligible users.

Time-Based or Schedule-Based Access

Release content at a specific time or after a countdown. Your server checks the current time or event state before signing.

Summary

For implementation details (signature format, canonical JSON, EIP-191 hashing), see the Open Audio Protocol gate-release-access tutorial and the gated-upload server source.