The honest answer is to say that you can't. It is not possible to stop illegal file-sharing completely but there are preventative measures that can help to reduce it. Some of these measures are listed below.
Anti-Piracy Measures
- Do not give your music to anybody that will not help you promote your release. Our advice is to be as strict as possible. If fewer people have your music then the lesser the chance of it being leaked onto the internet.
- Be ruthless with your promo lists. If a DJ never supports your music, never downloads it or never gives you any positive feedback then you probably need to source a new email address for them or remove them from your promo list.
- There are various paid methods of tackling illegal file-sharing. We recommend searching for services like this who will actively help remove file sharing links that appear online and report the findings back to you.
Whether reducing illegal file-sharing will result in increased sales, remains to be proven. Although it's difficult, our advice to you is to not waste too much time looking at these activities. Apart from being disheartening, your time is better spent promoting your releases.