The Question Every Artist Worries About Before Switching Distributors
You've built a follower base on Apple Music after months or years of hard work, and now you're thinking about switching distributors or temporarily removing your catalog. The obvious question: will those followers disappear? The short answer is "it depends on how you do it," and this article covers everything you need to know.
How Does the Apple Music Follow System Work?
When a listener taps "Follow" on your Apple Music artist page, that follow is tied to your Apple Music Artist ID — an internal identifier Apple automatically creates the first time your content is uploaded through any approved distributor. This ID is completely separate from the distributor itself.
Scenario One: Switching Distributors While Keeping the Same ISRC and UPC Codes
This is the best-case scenario. If you move from one distributor to another while keeping the same ISRC codes for each track and the same UPC code for the album, Apple Music will generally link the new release to your existing artist page. In practice, this means:
- Your followers remain intact with zero loss.
- Reviews and ratings stay connected to the album as long as the UPC matches.
- Your songs stay in listeners' playlists without any interruption.
Scenario Two: Deleting Your Entire Catalog and Re-uploading With New Codes
This is where things get problematic. When you delete your releases and re-upload them with different ISRC or UPC codes, Apple Music treats the content as brand-new releases. Here's what can happen:
- Apple may create a separate new artist page, especially if your artist name or its spelling has changed.
- Followers tied to the old page won't automatically transfer to the new one.
- Songs saved in listeners' libraries become unavailable and appear grayed out.
- Songs in listeners' playlists disappear or are replaced with an error message.
Scenario Three: The Gap Period Between Distributors
Even if you keep the same ISRC codes, if there's a window where your content is removed from Apple Music before it goes live through the new distributor, your songs could be unavailable for days or even weeks. During that period:
- Your followers won't disappear, since they're tied to your artist page rather than to a specific release.
- However, new listeners won't be able to find your content, which puts your follower growth on hold.
- The algorithm may reduce recommendations for your page during this downtime.
Practical Steps to Protect Your Followers When Switching Distributors
- Keep the same ISRC codes: Before leaving your current distributor, export a full list of all ISRC codes for your releases and make sure the new distributor uses them exactly as they are.
- Keep the same UPC codes: If your old distributor issued the codes in your name, you can transfer them. If the distributor owns them, you'll need new codes and will lose any release data associated with the old ones.
- Don't delete your content before it's live on the new distributor: Submit your catalog to the new distributor first, wait until your songs appear on Apple Music, then ask the old distributor to remove their version.
- Reach out to Apple Music for Artists: If two separate pages appear under your name, you can request a merge through the Apple Music for Artists portal or through your distributor.
- Give your audience a heads-up: Let your followers on social media know that your content might temporarily disappear and will be back soon.
One Final Tip
Prevention is far easier than damage control. Before deciding to switch distributors, plan the transition carefully: document all your codes, set precise dates, and confirm that the new distributor will support you in transferring your data. At Mazufa, ISRC and UPC codes always belong to the artist, which makes switching distributors far less risky for both your catalog and your audience.