To switch music distributors, first back up your catalog and agree on a transfer plan with both providers. Reuse the existing ISRC for each unchanged recording, deliver matching audio and metadata, and verify the replacement releases before requesting the agreed takedowns. Handle YouTube Content ID separately from store delivery, then reconcile the old account’s reports and payments.
The most important decision is when to remove the old delivery. A successful upload is only one checkpoint. You also need evidence that the correct recordings are available, mapped to the right artists, and ready for the handover.
Key takeaways
- Keep the recording’s identity intact. Preserve the original audio, ISRCs and accurate release metadata.
- Verify before takedown. Check live store pages and track-linking rather than relying only on a distributor’s upload status.
- Plan Content ID separately. Agree who will administer each recording, in which territories, and when the handover happens.
- Keep an accounting trail. Save statements, support confirmations and split records before closing an account.
1. Agree on what is moving before you upload
Start with a list of the releases and services you want to move. A catalog transfer may involve store delivery, YouTube monetization and royalty administration, but those services do not necessarily share one transfer process.
Ask your current provider to confirm the notice period, any outstanding obligations, and how to request removal of the selected releases. Check whether your agreement permits the temporary delivery overlap your new provider proposes. If there is an unresolved ownership dispute, settle the transfer scope before submitting conflicting instructions.
Then ask the receiving distributor:
- Can you accept my existing ISRCs and advise on existing UPCs?
- Which stores and territories will receive these releases?
- How should I identify my existing artist profiles?
- What evidence should we check before the old delivery is removed?
- Is Content ID included in this move, or managed through a separate request?
- Who will handle a rejected delivery or a mismatched release?
Keep the answers in one support thread or transfer document. For labels with Beatport or Traxsource releases, also ask whether a label-page transfer is required. For example, iMusician documents a separate label-switch approval process for those stores. Confirm the procedure with your own providers rather than applying one distributor’s instructions everywhere.
2. Build a catalog backup with the original ISRCs
Create one row per recording, with release-level information repeated where needed. Use exports from your existing account and your source files to build the record.
| Save this | What to include |
|---|---|
| Recording identity | Track title, version, existing ISRC, duration and original audio file |
| Release identity | Release title, UPC, track order, original release date and artwork |
| Credits and settings | Primary and featured artists, contributors, language and explicit-content status |
| Store references | Existing artist-profile links and release or track URLs |
| Administration | Territories, Content ID provider, relevant channel IDs and support references |
| Accounting | Downloaded statements, balance records and collaborator split details |
Keep the same ISRC when the recording itself has not changed. IFPI explains that an assigned ISRC stays with a recording when it is reused; changes such as file format or encoding do not by themselves require a new code. See IFPI’s guidance on when not to assign a new ISRC.
Do not combine a routine distributor move with a new mix, edited recording or other substantive audio change without checking the identifier requirements. Keep migration and creative changes as separate decisions.
If you need the difference between recording and composition identifiers, read our ISRC vs. ISWC codes guide. This transfer checklist focuses on carrying the existing catalog across accurately.
For UPCs, give the receiving distributor the original code and ask how it handles that release. Do not assume every upload system accepts existing UPCs in the same way, or treat a UPC as a substitute for the recording’s ISRC.
3. Deliver matching audio and metadata
Follow the receiving provider’s confirmed migration procedure. When the agreed process permits overlap, submit the replacement delivery while the original remains available, then complete the verification steps before takedown.
Use the source audio and artwork you backed up. Check track versions, artist spellings, featured-artist roles, titles, explicit flags, track order and the original release date. Supply the existing artist-profile links wherever the provider requests them.
Avoid making optional title, artwork or artist-name changes during the move. If existing metadata needs correction, flag it to support and agree on the sequence instead of silently changing several fields at once.
Distinguish three milestones:
- Accepted: the receiving distributor has accepted the submission.
- Live: the replacement delivery is available at the store.
- Verified: you have checked the correct recording, artist mapping and relevant linking evidence.
Record each milestone separately. For a larger catalog, ask whether a small representative batch can be moved first so you can resolve submission issues before repeating them across every release.
4. Check Spotify track-linking and the live store pages
Spotify says reuploaded music can retain its play count through track-linking, with matching audio and metadata, including duration, title and artist name. Its check is to open the desktop app, visit the artist profile and compare the songs’ play counts. Matching counts indicate linked tracks. See Spotify’s re-uploading guidance.
Treat this as a specific Spotify check, not proof that every store or YouTube service has completed the transfer.
For each priority store, open the live release and check the artist profile, track list, playback, version and availability relevant to your catalog. Save dated links or screenshots alongside the delivery confirmation. Review important playlist and promotional links too, but do not assume a migration guarantees future playlist placement.
If something does not match, send the receiving provider both versions’ URLs, the ISRC, the UPC and a description of the difference. Pause the planned takedown until the issue is understood.
Your before-takedown checkpoint table
| Checkpoint | Evidence to save | Pause if… |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer scope | Written list of releases and services moving | The providers disagree on what is included |
| Replacement delivery | Provider confirmation and live store URLs | The submission is accepted but not available |
| Recording and artist | Playback check, profile links and metadata comparison | The version or artist profile is wrong |
| Spotify linking | Dated play-count comparison | Linking remains unconfirmed |
| Content ID handover | Named administrators, territories and agreed sequence | Two administrators may assert conflicting rights |
| Takedown request | Exact old release IDs and provider confirmation | You cannot distinguish the old delivery from the replacement |
This is a working checklist, not a platform guarantee. Add store-specific requirements supplied by your providers.
5. Coordinate YouTube Content ID as a separate handover
Do not use a store-delivery overlap as an instruction to activate competing Content ID ownership. Ask both administrators to agree on the rights handover for the recordings and territories involved.
YouTube describes an ownership conflict as multiple content owners claiming shares that exceed 100% in a territory; monetization is typically postponed until the conflict is resolved. See YouTube’s ownership-conflict guidance.
Before the switch, record:
- Who currently administers Content ID for each recording.
- Which territories and rights are included.
- What the outgoing administrator must release or change.
- What confirmation the incoming administrator needs before activation.
- Which channel IDs require an exemption, and who will arrange it.
- Who will address existing claims and unresolved revenue questions.
Ask each provider to distinguish YouTube Music delivery from Content ID administration in its instructions. Do not assume a general catalog takedown completes both jobs.
Reconfirm channel exemptions. YouTube says allowlisting prevents future claims from that partner, but does not automatically release existing claims. Where multiple partners own an asset, each must allowlist the channel to prevent its claims. See YouTube’s channel-allowlisting guidance.
Our YouTube Content ID guide explains eligibility and claims in more detail. During migration, the immediate task is to get a written handover sequence and a clear contact for anything left unresolved.
6. Request the old takedown and preserve your royalty records
After the agreed checks pass, ask the outgoing provider to remove the specified old deliveries. Include its release IDs, titles, UPCs and the exact services covered by the request. Save the acknowledgment and check that the intended replacement remains available.
Avoid a vague instruction such as “delete my whole catalog” when only selected releases or services are moving.
Account closure deserves its own checklist. Ask the old provider to confirm:
- Whether further statements or adjustments are expected.
- How you will access reports after the catalog is removed.
- Whether a balance can be withdrawn and what conditions apply.
- Who handles unresolved claims, payment questions or corrections.
- When it is appropriate to close the account.
Keep old and new statements in separate folders and reconcile them by recording, store and reporting period. Do not assume a balance or payment history moves into the new dashboard with the audio files.
Review collaborator arrangements in the receiving system as well. Confirm the correct shares, required invitations and payment setup instead of assuming the old platform’s split settings have carried over. Keep a record of who has confirmed the new setup.
A message to send before switching distributors
Use this as a starting point and attach your catalog sheet:
I’m planning to transfer the listed releases. Please confirm the required notice, the delivery and takedown sequence, and how existing ISRCs and UPCs should be handled. Please also confirm artist-profile mapping requirements, any separate Content ID or label-page handover, and the checks needed before removal. For the outgoing account, please explain access to later statements and outstanding payments. I would like written confirmation of the affected releases and services before the handover starts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch music distributors without losing streams?
Spotify supports retaining play counts through track-linking. Use the matching-recording checks above and verify the result before the agreed takedown. An ISRC alone is not a guarantee of every platform’s outcome, playlist continuity or uninterrupted availability.
How long does switching music distributors take?
Ask both providers for a catalog-specific schedule. Delivery review, store availability, corrections and rights administration are separate milestones. Choose a takedown date after the required checks pass rather than relying on a universal number of days.
Can I use two music distributors at the same time?
Clarify whether you mean different releases with different providers or a temporary overlap for the same release. Check the applicable agreements and obtain a coordinated plan. In particular, do not equate permitted store overlap with permission for competing Content ID administration.
Do I need a separate transfer for India and the USA?
Build the plan around the catalog’s licensed territories, selected stores and provider requirements. Record India and the USA explicitly if both are in scope. Confirm availability in each target market; a live page in one market does not establish the status of the other.
What if I cannot find my original ISRCs?
Check your old distributor’s release details and catalog export, then ask its support team for the missing identifiers. Resolve the inventory before submitting the transfer instead of guessing codes or allowing new ones to be assigned to unchanged recordings.
Planning a move to Six Eyes?
Explore Six Eyes music distribution and review our features. When you are ready to discuss your catalog, contact Six Eyes with your current distributor, number of releases, target stores and territories, and whether Content ID is active.
Ask for confirmation of the applicable process before initiating takedowns. Your catalog sheet and live release links will make that conversation more specific.