Guide · Updated July 30, 2026 · 9 min read
How to switch music distributors without losing streams
The order of operations decides everything. Follow this sequence and your streams, playlists and release history carry over.
Switching distributors does not reset your streams. Switching distributors badly does. Stores track a recording by its identifiers and metadata, not by which company delivered the file — so a careful switch is invisible to listeners, and a careless one looks like a brand-new release with zero plays. This guide is the careful version: the order to do things in, what has to match, what to collect before you cancel anything, and what to check at each step. It applies whichever distributor you're leaving and whichever you're joining — including us, in both directions.
Key takeaways
- Deliver first, take down second. Never the reverse — a gap is the main way playlists are lost.
- Streams and playlist placements follow the recording's ISRC, not the distributor. Reuse your original ISRCs and UPCs.
- Metadata must match what's already live: titles, version tags, explicit status, track order, release date, track length.
- Collect everything — ISRCs, UPCs, dates, audio, artwork, statements — while you still have dashboard access.
- You can move release by release. A temporary duplicate in stores during the handover is normal.
The one rule: deliver first, take down second
Every failed switch traces back to the same mistake: taking the old release down before the new one is live. Once a track disappears from a store, it drops out of playlists — and when it reappears under the new delivery, those placements don't always reconnect. Symphonic's own switching guide is blunt about this: takedowns handled too early create gaps, and playlists don't reliably recover from them.
So the sequence is fixed. Re-deliver the release through the new distributor. Wait until it is live in stores. Verify it linked to the old version. Only then request the takedown. During the overlap both versions are live at once — Ari's Take confirms that's expected and harmless; on Spotify it shows as "1 More Release" on your artist page for a couple of days until the store consolidates them.
Streams follow the recording, not the distributor
The mechanism that makes all of this work is the ISRC — the International Standard Recording Code assigned to each recording. Stores use it, together with matching metadata, to recognize that the file your new distributor delivered is the same recording they already carry. Match the ISRC and the metadata, and the store links the two versions: play counts merge, playlist placements persist, algorithmic history stays attached.
The failure mode is silent. If you leave the ISRC field blank when recreating a release, your new distributor will assign a fresh code automatically — distributors assume you don't have one — and the store will treat the delivery as a new recording with a count of zero. Enter your original codes deliberately: the ISRC for each track, and the UPC for each release. And check the mapping twice; assigning song A's ISRC to song B is a mess to unwind. Who actually owns those codes, and what that means when you move, is its own subject — we cover it in who owns your ISRC codes.
What to collect before you cancel anything
Do this first, while your old dashboard still works. Cancelling some subscriptions ends your access — and with some distributors it takes your releases down automatically; per DistroKid's help center, releases come down when a subscription lapses unless a per-release extra was purchased. Export everything before you touch the cancel button:
- ISRC for every track — listed per song in your old distributor's release view.
- UPC for every release — one per single, EP or album.
- Original release dates — the new delivery must carry the same date, or your catalog reshuffles.
- Master audio files — the same versions currently live, in the format you delivered.
- Cover artwork — final delivered versions, full resolution.
- Exact metadata as live — titles, version tags, featured-artist credits, songwriter and producer credits, explicit flags, track order.
- Store identifiers — your Spotify artist URI, Apple Artist ID, YouTube channel link, so the new distributor delivers to the right profiles.
- Royalty statements — download the full history. Distributors owe you reporting while you're a customer; assume nothing after.
Metadata has to match — exactly
ISRC matching is necessary but not sufficient. Stores compare the surrounding metadata too, and small mismatches can break the link even when the audio is identical. The details that most often bite, per Symphonic's migration guidance:
| Must match the live version | Why it breaks the link |
|---|---|
| Track and release titles, including formatting | "Song (feat. X)" vs "Song feat. X" can read as different tracks |
| Version tags — Remix, Live, Acoustic | A missing or added tag reads as a different recording |
| Explicit vs clean status | Flipping the flag delivers a "different" version |
| Original release date | A new date files it as a new release |
| Track order and release type | A single re-delivered as an EP track won't map cleanly |
| Track length and audio format | Linking tolerates remasters, but the length must be identical |
Recreate each release as a copy of what's live, not as an improved second edition. Fix typos, swap artwork, or add credits after the switch has settled, and expect any change to be reviewed by the store on its own timeline.
The full sequence
- Export everything from the old dashboard (list above). Do not cancel yet.
- Recreate each release at the new distributor with the original ISRCs, UPC, release date and exact metadata. Watch for auto-assigned codes.
- Deliver, and wait until live. Don't schedule anything against this; store processing time is not yours to control.
- Verify the link. Check that play counts on the new version match the old one. If they haven't merged after a few days, contact the store's artist support before going further.
- Request takedowns from the old distributor, release by release. Some have a button, some need a support ticket, some charge a fee — and a few resist. Get confirmation in writing.
- Confirm the old versions are gone from stores and the counts survived on the new ones.
- Then cancel the old subscription.
For a large catalog, run this in batches. Move one low-stakes release first, watch it link cleanly end to end, then move the rest with the process proven.
Per-store quirks
- Spotify links matching deliveries and merges play counts; expect the temporary "1 More Release" duplicate during the overlap. Verify by comparing play counts across both versions before requesting takedown.
- Apple Music matches on the same identifiers. Make sure the new distributor delivers to your existing Apple Artist ID, or the release can land on a duplicate artist page.
- YouTube is the one to ask questions about before you move: if your old distributor manages Content ID or your Official Artist Channel, ask it — in writing — what happens to those claims and that linkage on takedown, and ask the new distributor how it takes them over.
- Takedown speed varies by distributor and store. Nothing about it is instant, and none of it is under your control — which is exactly why the old release stays up until the new one is proven.
What you keep when you leave Audora
A switching guide from a distributor is only credible if it covers switching away from the author. So, checkably, this is how leaving us works:
- Your masters are yours. So is everything created on the platform around them — cover art, bios, promo assets. You leave with all of it.
- Your ISRCs are registered to you, the artist — not to us. The identifiers your streams follow are yours to take to the next distributor.
- Audora is the label of record in metadata only. No ownership, no publishing, no cut of an active artist's royalties.
- Cancelling doesn't tear your catalog down. We take nothing from your royalties on any plan. If you cancel and we keep your music distributed, we recover only our distribution costs from what it earns — everything above that is still paid to you.
The full terms are in our Distribution Terms, and the commitments we hold ourselves to are written down in what we owe you. Read both before you join, not after.
And if you're switching to us: releases go out through Sony Music's channel, a release costs 10 credits on a paid plan, and we time delivery about three weeks ahead of release day so the editorial window is open. How a release moves from upload to live is laid out on the Launch page. Back-catalog moves follow this guide's sequence like any other switch.
Questions
Do I lose my streams when I switch music distributors?
Not if you switch in the right order. Stream counts are tied to a recording's ISRC, not to the distributor that delivered it. Re-deliver the same recordings through the new distributor with the original ISRCs and matching metadata, wait until the new version is live, then take the old one down. Done that way, the stores link the two versions and the counts carry over. Streams reset only when a switch assigns new ISRCs or changes the metadata enough that the store treats the delivery as a new recording.
Do I lose my playlist placements when I switch distributors?
Playlist placements follow the track, so they survive a clean switch. The danger is a gap: if the old version comes down before the new one is live, the track disappears from playlists, and placements don't always reconnect when it comes back. Keep both versions live during the handover — a temporary duplicate is normal and harmless — and only request the takedown after you've confirmed the new version is up and the play counts match.
How long does switching music distributors take?
It varies by distributor and by store, so plan in stages rather than days. Delivery of the new version typically takes days to a couple of weeks depending on the distributor's review process. Once it's live, expect a short overlap where both versions exist — usually a couple of days before the stores link them and counts consolidate. Takedown processing by the old distributor is the least predictable stage: some act in days, some require a support ticket, and some charge a fee. Keep paying the old distributor until the handover is fully confirmed.
Can I move my catalog release by release?
Yes. Switching happens per release, not per account — each release is re-delivered and taken down on its own. Moving in batches is often the sensible option for a large catalog: start with a low-stakes release, confirm the streams and playlists carried over, then move the rest. Nothing forces you to migrate everything at once, though you'll need to keep the old account active until its last release has been taken down.