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Transferring Your Catalog

Switching distributors doesn’t mean losing your playlists, saves, or streaming history. This guide explains how to migrate your catalog to LabelGrid while preserving everything your fans love.

How Catalog Transfers Work

Streaming platforms identify your music by unique codes:

  • ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) - identifies each track
  • UPC (Universal Product Code) - identifies each release/album

When you upload to LabelGrid using the same ISRC and UPC codes with matching metadata, platforms recognize it as the same content. Your playlist placements, saves, and streaming counts stay intact.

The Right Migration Order

The order matters. Follow these steps exactly to avoid losing your streaming history.

Step 1: Upload to LabelGrid First

Do NOT take down from your old distributor yet.

Upload your releases to LabelGrid with:

  • Same ISRCs and UPCs from your old distributor
  • Exact metadata match (artist names, track titles, album titles)
  • Original release dates to preserve your discography timeline

Step 2: Wait for Delivery

Give LabelGrid time to deliver to streaming platforms:

  • Delivery to DSPs: 1-3 days
  • DSP processing: 2-5 days to go live

Platforms match your content by ISRC/UPC and merge it with your existing catalog.

Step 3: Verify Your Releases

Before taking anything down, confirm in your LabelGrid dashboard:

  • Delivery status shows “Delivered” or “Live”
  • Releases appear correctly on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
  • Check that playlist placements are preserved

Step 4: Take Down From Old Distributor

Only after your LabelGrid releases are live:

  • Initiate takedown from your old distributor
  • Takedowns typically take 1-3 weeks to complete
  • Brief overlap is normal and expected

Step 5: Monitor the Transition

Over the next 2-4 weeks:

  • Verify playlists and saves transferred correctly
  • Check your artist profile links
  • Ignore duplicate content warnings during overlap (they resolve automatically)

Total timeline: 2-4 weeks

Why Upload First?

Taking down before uploading creates a gap where your music is offline. This can cause:

  • Lost playlist placements
  • Broken artist profile links
  • Reset streaming history
  • Confused listeners who can’t find your music

Uploading first with matching codes ensures a seamless handoff.

Using Your Existing Codes

Most Distributors: You Own the Codes

If you came from DistroKid, CD Baby, TuneCore, or similar services, you typically own your ISRC and UPC codes. You must reuse these exact codes in LabelGrid.

Requirements for successful transfer:

  • ISRCs and UPCs must match exactly
  • Artist names must be spelled identically (including capitalization)
  • Track titles must match character-for-character
  • Album titles must be identical

Rare Exception: Distributor-Owned Codes

Some distributors retain ownership of codes they assign. If you can’t reuse your codes:

  • LabelGrid will assign new codes
  • Your streaming history will reset (treated as a new release)
  • Playlist placements will be lost

Check your old distributor’s terms of service to confirm code ownership.

Finding Your Existing Codes

From Your Old Distributor

  • Check your distributor’s dashboard (usually in release details)
  • Export catalog data if available
  • Contact their support for a bulk code export

From Public Databases

Metadata Must Match Exactly

Streaming platforms validate ISRC/UPC against your metadata. Mismatches cause errors and can break the transfer.

FieldRequirement
Artist nameExact match including capitalization
Track titlesCharacter-for-character match
Album titleMust be identical
Featured artists”feat.” vs “ft.” matters

Example: If DistroKid shows “DJ Smith”, use “DJ Smith” on LabelGrid—not “Dj Smith” or “DJ SMITH”.

Distributor-Specific Notes

DistroKid

  • ISRCs/UPCs: Customer-owned ✓
  • Takedown speed: 1-2 weeks
  • “Leave a Legacy” customers: Content stays live until you manually take it down

CD Baby

  • ISRCs/UPCs: Customer-owned ✓
  • Takedown speed: 2-3 weeks
  • Sync licensing deals may need separate handling

TuneCore

  • ISRCs/UPCs: Customer-owned ✓
  • Takedown speed: 1-2 weeks
  • Annual fees stop, but you still need to request takedown

Other Distributors (Amuse, Ditto, etc.)

  • Check your old distributor’s terms for ISRC ownership
  • Most distributors assign customer-owned codes

Common Issues

ISRC Mismatch Errors

Cause: Same ISRC with different metadata (artist name, title, or duration)

Fix: Double-check that all metadata matches exactly across both distributors

Duplicate Content Warnings

Cause: Release temporarily live at both distributors (expected during overlap)

Fix: This is normal—warnings clear automatically within 1-3 weeks after takedown completes

Artist Profile Not Linking

Cause: Artist name spelled differently between releases

Fix: Match the artist name exactly, including features and spacing

Release Date Changed

Cause: Some platforms may display the new delivery date instead of the original

Fix: Always set “Original Release Date” during upload. Major platforms (Spotify, Apple Music) respect original dates when ISRC matches.

Before You Start: Checklist

Preparation:

  • Confirm you own your ISRCs and UPCs (check old distributor terms)
  • Export all your ISRC/UPC codes from your old distributor
  • Export complete metadata (artist names, titles, release dates)
  • Verify your LabelGrid plan has capacity for your catalog
  • Upgrade your plan if needed

During migration:

  • Upload to LabelGrid with exact same ISRCs/UPCs
  • Match all metadata exactly
  • Set original release dates
  • Do NOT take down from old distributor yet

After delivery:

  • Confirm delivery status is “Live” in LabelGrid
  • Verify releases appear on streaming platforms
  • Check playlist placements are preserved
  • Then request takedown from old distributor
  • Monitor for 2-4 weeks until overlap resolves

Need Help?

Migrating a large catalog or running into issues? Contact our support team for personalized assistance.