Switching distributors for our music

[drmdzh]

My band is switching distributors for our music. My previous distributor can't give me an exact take down date, but I want to submit to our new ditrsibutor (DistroKid) as soon as we can:

1. Is it a problem if DistroKid uploads our music again before it has been removed by previous distributor?

2. Will all of our stats/followers/related artists remain in place when the music is taken down then re uploaded?

Thanks.

[Tom]

Hey @drmdzh!

I recommend contacting Support about this issue, you can do this via Twitter (@SpotifyCares) or on the online contact form.

[MattSuda · Accepted solution]

Hey @drmdzh

It is recommended to not take down the old releases from the old distributor until the release from the new distributor are live and has linked to the old releases.

Your followers and related aritsts will remain in place.

To keep your stats, you will want the new releases to link to the old releases before removing the old releases.

Track linking is specifically designed to provide a better user experience by removing duplicate tracks from the charts section, popular tracks section, and avoiding gaps in playlists due to territorial availability. Tracks that are linked will subsequently share a play count.

Track linking is never 100% guaranteed. When attempting to track link two versions of a recording, the metadata should be as identical as possible (i.e. duration, title, version, artist, ISRC), and the audio used should be the exact same. Chances of track linking are decreased with each differing piece of metadata between the two recordings. New audio fingerprints create new Spotify recording groups, which have a unique play count. This is calculated for each different recording of a composition.

DistroKid allows you to enter an ISRC for the upload. Just get this code from the old release from your old distributor and enter it into the ISRC field when uploading to DistroKid

To ensure there is no disruption in service please ensure all replacement content is:

• Exactly the same as the initial delivery in regards to track audio, ISRC, product type (single / album) and metadata to encourage track linking.
• Delivered at least 5 business days in advance of the set live date.

To minimise disruption in user experience:

• Please wait until both releases are live in the client, and see if they have linked by comparing the play counts prior to removing the old content.
• Alternatively, if you wish to remove the old content at the same time the new content goes live, please make sure the new content has an end date which matches the live date of the new content, or a takedown to take effect the same day as the new content goes live.

Disclaimer: Please note that during this period of transition there may be some fluctuation in the popular tracks section of your artist page, this is normal and you will find that popular tracks will normalise within 72 hours of the new content being live on the client.

You will know they have linked if you see this:

1. Click the album title on the artist or search page.
   
2. Click the drop-down menu at the bottom for other releases.
   

If they have been grouped together, they should be linked. Also make sure they both have the same play counts by hovering over the popularity bars.

If the new releases do not link up to the old releases and share a play count, you will need to contact artists support. Just make sure to include all the information and be clear as possible when contacting. They might not reply to your email but keep checking your page they usually fix within a few days. They should hopefully be able to link the songs so you have the same play count.

https://artists.spotify.com/contact

Let me know how it goes or if you need any more help