diff --git a/worker/tests/data/test_strict_sentence_paragraphs-protected_paragraphs.json b/worker/tests/data/test_strict_sentence_paragraphs-protected_paragraphs.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..067834ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/worker/tests/data/test_strict_sentence_paragraphs-protected_paragraphs.json
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+{
+  "input": [
+    {
+      "type": "paragraph",
+      "speaker": null,
+      "lang": "de",
+      "children": [
+        {
+          "text": "Willkommen ",
+          "start": 0.0,
+          "end": 0.82,
+          "conf": 0.4493102431297302,
+          "conf_ts": 0.0
+        },
+        {
+          "text": "zum ",
+          "start": 0.82,
+          "end": 1.07,
+          "conf": 0.9744400978088379,
+          "conf_ts": 0.005903157405555248
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "paragraph",
+      "speaker": null,
+      "lang": "de",
+      "children": [
+        {
+          "text": "[",
+          "start": 0.0,
+          "end": 0.82,
+          "conf": 0.4493102431297302,
+          "conf_ts": 0.0
+        },
+        {
+          "text": "Music",
+          "start": 0.82,
+          "end": 1,
+          "conf": 0.9744400978088379,
+          "conf_ts": 0.005903157405555248
+        },
+        {
+          "text": "]",
+          "start": 1,
+          "end": 1.07,
+          "conf": 0.4493102431297302,
+          "conf_ts": 0.0
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "paragraph",
+      "speaker": null,
+      "lang": "de",
+      "children": [
+        {
+          "text": "letzten ",
+          "start": 1.07,
+          "end": 1.65,
+          "conf": 0.9838394522666931,
+          "conf_ts": 0.01149927917867899
+        },
+        {
+          "text": "Token.",
+          "start": 1.65,
+          "end": 2.06,
+          "conf": 0.9566531777381897,
+          "conf_ts": 0.0096774036064744
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ],
+  "expected": [
+    {
+      "type": "paragraph",
+      "speaker": null,
+      "lang": "de",
+      "children": [
+        {
+          "text": "Willkommen ",
+          "start": 0.0,
+          "end": 0.82,
+          "conf": 0.4493102431297302,
+          "conf_ts": 0.0
+        },
+        {
+          "text": "zum ",
+          "start": 0.82,
+          "end": 1.07,
+          "conf": 0.9744400978088379,
+          "conf_ts": 0.005903157405555248
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "paragraph",
+      "speaker": null,
+      "lang": "de",
+      "children": [
+        {
+          "text": "[",
+          "start": 0.0,
+          "end": 0.82,
+          "conf": 0.4493102431297302,
+          "conf_ts": 0.0
+        },
+        {
+          "text": "Music",
+          "start": 0.82,
+          "end": 1,
+          "conf": 0.9744400978088379,
+          "conf_ts": 0.005903157405555248
+        },
+        {
+          "text": "]",
+          "start": 1,
+          "end": 1.07,
+          "conf": 0.4493102431297302,
+          "conf_ts": 0.0
+        }
+      ]
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "paragraph",
+      "speaker": null,
+      "lang": "de",
+      "children": [
+        {
+          "text": "letzten ",
+          "start": 1.07,
+          "end": 1.65,
+          "conf": 0.9838394522666931,
+          "conf_ts": 0.01149927917867899
+        },
+        {
+          "text": "Token.",
+          "start": 1.65,
+          "end": 2.06,
+          "conf": 0.9566531777381897,
+          "conf_ts": 0.0096774036064744
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/worker/transcribee_worker/whisper_transcribe.py b/worker/transcribee_worker/whisper_transcribe.py
index ae8ca224..71cbcd8b 100644
--- a/worker/transcribee_worker/whisper_transcribe.py
+++ b/worker/transcribee_worker/whisper_transcribe.py
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@
         r".*\d\.\s?$"
     ),  # Don't split on numerals followed by a dot, e.g. "during the 20. century"
 ]
+# Regexes that protect a paragraph from being recombined
+DONT_COMBINE_RES = [
+    re.compile(r"^\[[^\s]*\]$"),  # [MUSIC]
+    re.compile(r"^\*[^\s]*\*$"),  # *Applause*
+]
 
 
 def get_model_file(model_name: str):
@@ -262,6 +267,13 @@ async def strict_sentence_paragraphs(
                 lang=paragraph.lang, speaker=paragraph.speaker, children=[]
             )
 
+        elif any(regex.search(paragraph.text()) for regex in DONT_COMBINE_RES):
+            if acc_paragraph.children:
+                yield acc_paragraph
+            acc_paragraph = None
+            yield paragraph
+            continue
+
         locale = Locale(paragraph.lang)
         sentence_iter = BreakIterator.createSentenceInstance(locale)
         sentence_iter.setText(acc_paragraph.text() + paragraph.text())