How to Switch Music Distributors and Keep Your Song's History
Updated 6 min read
How do you move your music to a new distributor? Release each song again through the new distributor with the same ISRC, the code that identifies the recording, check that the new copy is live in every store, and only then ask your previous distributor for a takedown. Your song stays in the stores the whole time, and on Spotify its play count carries over when the audio and the details match.
Why the order matters
The mistake to avoid is starting with the takedown. The song leaves every store at once, the links in playlists, posts and press stop playing, and the release waits until the new distributor delivers it again. On Spotify the clock is running too: a recording that is unavailable keeps its all-time stream count for 90 days, and one that comes back after that does not get its previous count back.
The professional order is the other way round. The new copy goes live first, the previous copy comes down second. For a short while each store carries two copies of the song, and then the new copy steps into the place of the previous one. Listeners keep playing the same song, and its history carries on.
YouTube describes the same order in its guide for music partners moving a catalog: the new partner adds its ownership first, and only then does the previous partner remove its own.
New copy live and checked first. Takedown second. That order keeps your song in the stores the whole time.
The terms you will meet
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| ISRC | International Standard Recording Code. Twelve characters that identify one recording, permanently. It belongs to the recording, so it stays the same whoever distributes it. |
| UPC | Universal Product Code. The barcode of a release, such as a single, an EP or an album. |
| DSP | Digital service provider: a store or streaming service, such as Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music. |
| Metadata | The details delivered with the audio: title, version, artist names, credits and release date. |
| Takedown | The request a distributor sends to remove a release from the stores. |
| Content ID | YouTube's rights system. It finds your recordings in videos on YouTube and claims them for you. |
Before you start, gather everything for each song
The new copy has to match the song that is already in the stores, detail for detail. Spotify links a new copy to the old one only when the audio and the metadata match, including the length, the title and the artist name. Gather these for each song before you upload anything.
- The ISRC of every track. Your current distributor's dashboard usually shows it, and so do most royalty statements.
- The UPC of every release. Ask your new distributor whether it can keep it.
- The same final audio file, so the length matches to the second.
- The title and the version exactly as they appear today, such as "Radio Edit" or "Acoustic".
- The artist names, spelled exactly as they appear today, and the link to your artist profile on each DSP.
- The original release date.
- The cover art and the lyrics.
- The credits, and the split you agreed with everyone who worked on the song.
Read your agreement with your current distributor as well: its notice period, the way it sends a takedown, and whether it holds Content ID claims on your recordings.
Step by step
- Upload each release to your new distributor with the same ISRC for every track, the same audio file and the same metadata. Keep the UPC if the new distributor can.
- Choose your existing artist profile on each DSP, so the songs arrive on the profile your listeners already follow.
- Set the original release date, and release.
- Wait until the new copy is live in every store. For a while, each store carries two copies of the song. That is part of the plan.
- Check each store. The new copy plays, sits on your profile and shows the original release date. On Spotify, open your artist profile on desktop: when the play count next to the song matches the old one, the two copies are linked.
- If your recordings are in Content ID, the new distributor adds its ownership first, and then the previous distributor removes its own. The claims stay in place the whole time.
- Only now ask your previous distributor for the takedown. The previous copy leaves the stores, and the new copy takes its place. Listeners keep playing the same song.
What does not carry over
Most of a song's history moves with it when the ISRC and the metadata match. A few things start again, and it is better to know them before you start.
- Views on YouTube's Art Tracks, the automatic versions of your songs on YouTube Music and on the Topic channel. The new distributor delivers them again with the same ISRC and UPC, and YouTube's guide says the views on the old Art Tracks do not carry over.
- The Spotify play count of a song that stays offline for more than 90 days. With the new copy live first, this never happens.
- Earnings from the months before the switch. Plays from before the switch are reported through your previous distributor, so its statements keep arriving after you move. Keep that account open until the last one arrives.
- Links that point to the old copy, such as the links in your bio, on your link pages and in your pre-save links. Update them to the new copies.
Move your catalog to SoundEX.ai
Moving your catalog to SoundEX.ai? Contact our team at sound@soundex.ai, and we will make sure the move is smooth.
Questions and answers
Does my song stay in the stores while I switch distributors?
Yes, when the new copy goes live first. The previous copy comes down only after you have checked the new one in every store, so listeners can play the song the whole time.
Do I keep my ISRC when I switch distributors?
Yes. An ISRC identifies one recording permanently, whoever distributes it. Give the same ISRC to your new distributor for every track. A new ISRC would identify it as a different recording.
Does the play count move to the new copy?
On Spotify, yes, when the ISRC, the audio and the metadata all match. Spotify calls this track linking, and you can see it on your profile in the play count next to the song. On YouTube, the views on the old Art Tracks do not carry over.
What happens if I send the takedown before the new copy is live?
The song leaves every store until the new distributor delivers it again. On Spotify, a recording that comes back after more than 90 days offline does not get its previous stream count back.
Why does each store show two copies of my song for a while?
That overlap is what keeps your song in the stores the whole time. It ends when your previous distributor sends the takedown, after you have checked the new copy.
What happens to the earnings from before the switch?
Plays from before the switch are reported through your previous distributor, so its statements keep arriving after you move. Keep that account open until the last statement arrives.