Moving a catalogue is routine in the right order and painful in the wrong one. The difference is not the distributor you choose but the sequence: what you export, which codes you carry, when the old delivery comes down and how you check the result.
Export everything before you tell anyone
Your first step happens inside the old account, before any notice is given. Download a full catalogue export with every release and track, including UPC, ISRC, original release date, artist names as delivered, label name and territory settings. If no export exists, build the sheet by hand from each release page.
Then gather the assets: the original audio masters, full-size artwork, lyrics, credits and split agreements, every statement ever issued, the store links of your artist profiles, and the list of recordings registered to Content ID with any open disputes. Once an account is closed, some of this disappears.
- Catalogue sheet: UPC, ISRC, original release dates, names, label, territories
- Masters, artwork, lyrics, credits, split sheets
- All statements, from the first to the latest
- Store profile links and YouTube Content ID asset list
Read the old agreement before you move
Find four things in the old agreement: the notice period, how takedowns are requested and how long they take, whether the codes it assigned may be reused, and when final payments arrive. Stores report two to three months late, so activity before the takedown is paid months after it, and the old account and your payment details must stay active until then.
Check for outstanding balances, advances or exclusivity on particular releases, which usually must be settled before the catalogue can move. If anything is unclear, ask in writing and keep the reply; it is the document you will need if a payment later goes missing.
The order: deliver, verify, then take down
Deliver the catalogue to the new distributor first, with the original ISRC, UPC and release dates, and mark it as a transfer rather than a new release. Mazufa Records checks each transferred release against those original codes before delivery, so the stores recognise the same product. The terms are the same as for a new release: no upload fee, no subscription, no per-release fee; the revenue share is set out in your written agreement.
Wait until the new delivery is live in the stores and verify it: open each track page and confirm it is the same page, with the same stream count and URL. Only then request the takedown from the old distributor. A short overlap, when both deliveries are live, is normal, and stores usually merge them by code. Taking down first creates a gap, and a gap is where streams, saves and playlist positions are lost.
Timing the takedown
Takedowns propagate over days, sometimes a couple of weeks, and not at the same speed in every store. Choose a quiet window: not in the week of a new release, not just before Eid or a national day, and not while a track is climbing. Ask the old distributor to confirm in writing which releases were taken down and when.
YouTube needs special care. The old distributor must release its Content ID ownership of your recordings so the new one can claim them; while two parties assert ownership, income on those assets is usually held until the conflict is resolved. Ask for the release of assets together with the takedown, and give your new distributor the list you exported.
After the move: verify, then close
In the weeks after the switch, walk through your catalogue sheet line by line. Confirm every track page still carries its history, every release shows its original date, your artist profiles are intact, and your Official Artist Channel still lists every release. Report anything missing to the new distributor with the ISRC, so it can be corrected with the store.
Update your registrations at neighbouring-rights societies if the label or rights-owner name has changed, and keep the old account open until the final statement is paid. When the first statement from the new distributor arrives, compare it with the last from the old one, store by store and country by country. If the lines match in shape, the move is done.
Three practical steps
- Export the full catalogue sheet, assets and statements before giving notice.
- Deliver with the original codes and dates, verify the pages are live, and only then take down.
- Keep the old account open until its final statement is paid, and verify YouTube ownership moved.
Questions people ask
Will I lose my streams and playlist positions?
Usually not, if the new delivery carries the same ISRC and UPC and goes live before the old one comes down. The risk comes from new codes or from a gap between takedown and re-delivery.
How long should the overlap last?
Usually a few days to two weeks: long enough for every store to show the new delivery on the existing page. Then request the takedown. A long overlap can create duplicate listings and conflicting claims on YouTube.
Does the old distributor still owe me money after I leave?
Yes, usually for all activity before the takedown date. Because stores report late, those statements arrive for several months. Keep your account and payment details active until the last one is paid.