{"id":3806,"date":"2026-09-16T12:08:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T12:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/radar\/?p=3806"},"modified":"2026-09-04T12:09:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T12:09:12","slug":"how-to-move-from-distrokid-to-another-distributor-without-losing-streams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/radar\/how-to-move-from-distrokid-to-another-distributor-without-losing-streams\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Move From DistroKid to Another Distributor Without Losing Streams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Changing music distributor sounds terrifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Artists worry they&#8217;ll lose streams, playlists or their Spotify history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fortunately, moving away from DistroKid doesn&#8217;t automatically mean starting from zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep the same recording<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most important rule is simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don&#8217;t change the audio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re transferring an existing song, use the exact same master file wherever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;re trying to tell streaming services:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the same recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep your ISRC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ISRC identifies the recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When uploading to your new distributor, enter the original ISRC rather than generating a new one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also retain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>artist name<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>track title<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>version information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>original release date<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>contributor details<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consistency gives stores the best chance of matching the replacement delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Upload before taking DistroKid down<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don&#8217;t remove the DistroKid version first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upload the release through your new distributor and allow it to arrive in stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then verify that it has mapped correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only after that should you remove the older distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A short overlap is generally preferable to accidentally creating a period where the release disappears entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will Spotify streams stay?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In many transfers, Spotify can preserve stream counts and playlist associations when recordings are correctly matched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this is ultimately controlled by the DSP, not the distributor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No sensible distributor should promise a 100% guaranteed outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why artists leave DistroKid<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reasons vary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some artists want:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>no annual subscription<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>different support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>different UGC economics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>better label tools<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>catalogue permanence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>different rights services<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RouteNote Free is one option because it has no upfront or annual distribution fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t rush it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Treat a distributor switch like migrating important infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Document everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Move carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verify your catalogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then shut down the old delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Done properly, changing distributor can be much less dramatic than artists expect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Changing music distributor sounds terrifying. Artists worry they&#8217;ll lose streams, playlists or their Spotify history. Fortunately, moving away from DistroKid doesn&#8217;t automatically mean starting from zero. Keep the same recording The most important rule is simple: Don&#8217;t change the audio. If you&#8217;re transferring an existing song, use the exact same master file wherever possible. You&#8217;re trying to tell streaming services: This is the same recording. Keep your ISRC The ISRC identifies the recording. When uploading to your new distributor, enter the original ISRC rather than generating a new one. Also retain: Consistency gives stores the best chance of matching the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1378,2352,1366,526,2133],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-3806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-distrokid","tag-moving","tag-music-streaming","tag-streaming","tag-streams"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Move From DistroKid to Another Distributor Without Losing Streams - RouteNote - Radar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/routenote.com\/radar\/how-to-move-from-distrokid-to-another-distributor-without-losing-streams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Move From DistroKid to Another Distributor Without Losing Streams - RouteNote - Radar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Changing music distributor sounds terrifying. Artists worry they&#8217;ll lose streams, playlists or their Spotify history. Fortunately, moving away from DistroKid doesn&#8217;t automatically mean starting from zero. Keep the same recording The most important rule is simple: Don&#8217;t change the audio. If you&#8217;re transferring an existing song, use the exact same master file wherever possible. You&#8217;re trying to tell streaming services: This is the same recording. Keep your ISRC The ISRC identifies the recording. When uploading to your new distributor, enter the original ISRC rather than generating a new one. 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