For mixing & mastering engineers

Client didn’t pay for your mix? What to do next

Keep the final files until you’re paid, and follow up in writing. Send an invoice with a due date if you haven’t, a friendly reminder when it’s due, then a firmer note a week later that says what happens next. Hold on to the stems and the full-quality master until the money arrives — a streaming preview is enough for them to approve. If they still don’t pay, send a final written demand; small claims court exists for disputes like this. Next time, make payment the thing that unlocks the files: with FEAT., your client pays by card from an invoice link and the downloads open once it’s paid.

What to do when a client hasn’t paid

Stop sending files — keep the stems and the full-quality master until you’re paid.
Send an invoice with a due date, if you haven’t already, and make it easy to pay.
When it’s due, follow up in writing: a short, friendly reminder with the invoice attached.
A week later, send a firmer note: the amount, the due date that passed, and the date you’ll take the next step.
Keep everything — the messages, the agreement, the invoice, and what you delivered when.
If they still don’t pay, send a final written demand before you go further.
For larger amounts, small claims court is built for disputes like this — check its limit and rules where you live.

Free invoice maker

Make the invoice now — free. Download the PDF with a free FEAT. account, or send it with FEAT. so the files unlock only when it’s paid.

Add your details, your client, and a line for each service — production, mix, master, stems, session hours — then download a finished PDF with a free FEAT. account. No watermark.

Make an invoice Send invoices with FEAT.

Make sure it doesn’t happen again

Clients who already have the full mix have little reason to hurry. Agree the price, what’s included and how many revisions in writing before you start, and say in that same agreement that the final files are delivered once you’re paid.

A work for hire agreement does that in one document: FEAT.’s free one says the rights in the mix pass to your client only once they’ve paid in full.

How FEAT. keeps the files locked until you’re paid

Create an invoice on FEAT. and attach the files — stems, WAVs, the master.
Your client opens it from a link — no account needed — and can stream a preview.
They agree to your terms and pay by card.
The downloads unlock the moment the payment goes through.
Your payout follows after a short protection hold. If something goes wrong, FEAT. steps in.

Questions

Should I keep working on revisions while the invoice is unpaid?

Finish what you agreed, but hold the final files until the invoice is paid. If the revisions go past what you agreed, put the extra work on the invoice.

What should a payment reminder say?

Keep it short and specific: the invoice number, the amount, the date it was due and how to pay. Stay polite — the goal is getting paid, not winning the argument.