If you’re wondering whether you should leave DistroKid, you’re probably not alone.

The music distributor has been in the headlines following a lawsuit filed by Universal Music Group, while the wider industry is increasingly discussing AI music, streaming fraud and the responsibilities of distribution platforms.

But changing your distributor is a business decision.

It shouldn’t be driven purely by a headline.

Here are the questions worth asking.

Are you happy with the service?

Start with the obvious question.

Does DistroKid currently do what you need it to do?

If it does, there may be no reason to change simply because the company is involved in litigation.

UMG has filed allegations involving copyright infringement, deceptive practices and AI-generated content, but those allegations have not yet been adjudicated.

A legitimate artist’s catalogue does not automatically become affected because a distributor is being sued.

How much are you paying?

DistroKid currently advertises its Musician plan at $24.99 per year for one artist with unlimited song uploads.

Depending on your requirements, additional services may cost more.

It is therefore worth calculating what you actually spend every year rather than only looking at the headline subscription.

Then compare that with the alternatives.

RouteNote Free allows artists to distribute music with no upfront distribution charge, with artists receiving 85% of streaming and download revenue.

Artists wanting 100% can choose RouteNote Premium instead.

Neither model is automatically right for everyone.

An artist making very little streaming revenue may prefer avoiding fixed fees.

A higher-earning release may justify a model where the artist keeps 100%.

What happens if you stop paying DistroKid?

This is an important consideration.

DistroKid’s own documentation says that if you stop paying your annual subscription, releases may be removed from streaming services.

Its Leave a Legacy extra can protect individual releases from removal because of a lapsed membership.

Leave a Legacy currently costs $29 for a single and $49 for an album containing two or more tracks.

Artists with substantial back catalogues should understand these terms before cancelling anything.

Can you move your existing music?

Yes.

You don’t normally need to abandon your streams and start again.

If you transfer the exact same recordings using the same ISRCs and matching metadata, streaming services may link the new delivery with the existing recording.

RouteNote specifically supports this process.

The recommended approach is to upload through RouteNote while your existing version is still live, wait for the new version to appear and allow around three to five business days for track linking.

Only then should you request removal through the previous distributor.

What matters to you in a distributor?

Different artists care about different things.

You might prioritise:

Low upfront costs.

Keeping 100% of royalties.

Content moderation.

Customer support.

Global store coverage.

YouTube Content ID.

Social platform monetisation.

Royalty splits.

Catalogue permanence.

Release speed.

Label tools.

AI policies.

Rights protection.

There is no universal answer.

The best distributor is the one whose business model fits your catalogue.

What about the UMG lawsuit?

The lawsuit is worth following.

It raises important questions about how distributors deal with infringement and large-scale AI-generated uploads.

But artists should distinguish allegations from established facts.

DistroKid itself prohibits infringement, impersonation and mass-generated spam in its AI policy.

The legal dispute may ultimately help establish how far distributors are expected to go in policing material uploaded by customers.

Consider portability even if you stay

Even if you decide not to leave DistroKid, there is one useful thing every artist should do.

Keep records of your catalogue.

Save your:

ISRCs.

UPCs.

Artwork.

Master recordings.

Metadata.

Release dates.

Collaborator information.

Store links.

That information makes your catalogue portable.

Your distributor should be a service provider.

It shouldn’t feel like a prison.

If you decide to switch

Don’t rush the process.

Set up the replacement first.

Move a release.

Check that everything links.

Then continue with the remainder of your catalogue.

RouteNote allows artists to start distributing without an upfront distribution payment through its Free model, making it possible to test the platform before committing your entire catalogue.

Changing distributor should be a controlled migration rather than a panic button.