Moving Music - A Guide to Switching Distributors
Thinking of switching distributors but worried about losing streams or playlist placements? We’ve got the answers
Platforms use a method called track-linking to match tracks delivered by your previous distributor with those delivered by your new one. Track-linking helps create a smoother user experience by removing duplicate tracks from your artist profile. When it works, your playlists and stream counts remain unaffected by the switch.
To maximise the chances of track-linking, make sure the following metadata is completely identical:
ISRC
UPC
Title
Title version
Artist
Additionally, the audio you supply must be identical to what was delivered to your previous distributor. Any differences in metadata between the previous release and the one we deliver reduce the chances of successful track-linking.
Minimising disruption to user experience
When transferring catalogues, we recommend allowing at least 48 hours of overlap on platforms where both distributed versions are live. This overlap helps ensure that streams link successfully and playlist placements are preserved.
For YouTube, it is possible to transfer ownership of sound recording and music video assets. However, art tracks taken down by the previous distributor and redelivered will lose their existing views and streams.
Our goal is to make switching distributors as seamless as possible while protecting your streams and playlist placements. To transfer your catalogue, we simply require the metadata, .wav audio files, and packshots for the releases you want us to distribute. Once received, we can create your releases and deliver them swiftly to all platforms.
Ready to make the switch?
We’ve helped thousands of artists and labels seamlessly transfer their catalogues to Absolute - and we’d love to help you too. Get in touch here: