Transferring a Release From Another Distributor: How It Works

If your music is already live on Spotify, Apple Music, Beatport, or any other store through a different distributor, you do not have to start over to move it to us. The release can be transferred — and when it is done correctly, your existing streams and download history come with it.

Transfers cause confusion because they feel like they should be complicated. They are not. There is one rule that protects your history, and one correct order of steps. This guide covers both, plus exactly what to prepare before you begin.

The One Rule: Keep Your Original UPC and ISRCs

This is the single most important part of a transfer. Do not create new codes.

Digital stores do not identify your music by its title or artist name. They identify each recording by its ISRC, and each release by its UPC. Every stream, save, library add, download, and chart position is attached to those codes — not to the file and not to the distributor.

That means a transfer is really just a handover of the same identifiers from one distributor to another. Keep the codes identical, and the history stays attached. Generate new ones, and the stores see something entirely different.

The Correct Order of Steps

The order matters, because the same UPC and ISRC cannot be live at two distributors at the same time. Stores will reject or flag the duplicate. At the same time, you do not want to remove your release from the stores before the new upload has been checked — that would leave it offline longer than necessary.

So the sequence is deliberately arranged to keep the offline window as short as possible:

• Step 1 — Upload the release to your new distributor using the original audio files, the original UPC, and the original ISRCs.
• Step 2 — The release is reviewed and confirmed on the new side. Metadata, artwork, and codes are validated at this stage, while your release is still live and earning through the old distributor.
• Step 3 — Once it is confirmed, request the takedown from the distributor that currently has the release.
• Step 4 — When the takedown has gone through, the new distributor delivers the release to the stores using the same identifiers.

Why Not Request the Takedown First?

Because a takedown is the irreversible part. If you remove the release from the stores first and only then discover a problem with the audio, the artwork, or the metadata, your music sits offline while that gets sorted out.

Uploading and confirming first means every detail is already verified before anything is taken down. The takedown then becomes the last short step rather than the beginning of an open-ended wait.

Expect a Short Offline Window

There is normally a gap of about one to two days between the old distributor removing the release and the new delivery appearing in the stores. This is unavoidable — it is the time the stores need to process the removal before they will accept the same codes again.

Plan around that window. A transfer is not something to start in the middle of a promotional push, during an active playlist campaign, or in the days right after a new release. Pick a quiet period instead.

What to Prepare Before You Start

A transfer moves slowly only when information is missing. Gather all of this before submitting:

• The original master audio files — the exact files that were distributed, in WAV format
• The original UPC (also called EAN or barcode) of the release
• The original ISRC for every single track on the release
• The original cover artwork, 3000 x 3000 pixels
• The exact original metadata: release title, artist names as credited, all track titles, any version or mix names, and the original release date
• The label name exactly as it appears in the stores today
• Confirmation from your current distributor of how long their takedown takes

Is Anything Extra Required? No.

This is where most people expect hidden complexity, and there is none. A transfer needs the original files and the original codes. That is the entire technical requirement.

There is no re-registration step, no special paperwork to file with the stores, and no need to rebuild the release from scratch. If you have the codes and the masters, you have everything.

DJ Mixes, Compilations, and Continuous Albums

Special formats do not change anything about a transfer. The detailed rules you may have read about uploading a DJ mix — single continuous files, track marker requirements, licensing of the individual tracks — all apply to submitting a new release for the first time.

A transfer is different. The release already exists in the stores in an accepted form. The transfer simply reproduces what is already there under the same identifiers, so the format of the release does not add any extra steps.

What a Transfer Preserves, and What It Cannot Promise

Being clear about this is better than being optimistic about it.

Because the identifiers stay the same, a correct transfer keeps your stream counts, your download history, your saves and library adds, and generally your existing store pages and links.

What cannot be guaranteed is anything the stores control on their own: editorial playlist placements, algorithmic momentum, and recommendation behaviour. Any period offline can interrupt these, which is another reason to keep the window short and to time the transfer sensibly.

Ready to Transfer?

Collect your UPC, your ISRCs, and your original masters, then get in touch before you request anything from your current distributor. We will confirm the release on our side first so that your offline window stays as short as possible.