If you’re interested in relocating your entire music catalog to PlayTreks, this article is for you. It outlines the steps to a smooth transition of your music to PlayTreks and takes the following into account:

  • Keeping all your streams/plays/downloads counts
    If you’ve received thousands or even millions of streams on Spotify, of course you’d want that data to remain visible in your artist profile.
  • Keeping all your playlist placements
    If your songs got included in playlists, you want them to stay there.
  • Uninterrupted availability of your music
    Your fans and friends will not notice a thing.
  • Making sure your old distributor does not keep billing you
    Some distributors make it hard to cancel your subscription. Avoid nasty surprises.
Sounds good? Then let’s get ready to start the transfer! The following 4-step process will ensure a smooth migration of all your music to PlayTreks.
 
  1. Sign up for PlayTreks
    Go to https://app.playtreks.com/register and sign up for free.

  2. Go to the Music Distribution section and create your release(s).
    In a few easy steps, we ask you to enter the release metadata (title, version, artists, genre, etcetera), upload the album cover and audio files, provide any licenses when applicable, select stores and submit the release. For a smooth and uninterrupted transition, it’s important to use the same metadata and information for all your albums and tracks.

    • Albums
      Use the same UPC code for your album, as long as the album you're redistributing is really exactly the same as before.  If the album is changing in any way (say you've added or removed some tracks, or put tracks in a different order) you should not use the same UPC. In that case, just have PlayTreks generate a new UPC code for free.

    • Tracks
      Use the existing ISRC codes for each of your individual tracks. Upload the exact same audio files, keep the same song titles, artists and genres. If you do all this, the play counts will link and you will keep any playlist placements.

      Note that if tracks have changed (say you've re-recorded the song, remixed the audio, changed the title) you should not use the same ISRC. In these cases, just have PlayTreks generate a new ISRC for free.

  3. Take down your music with your old distributor.
    When switching over from another distributor, it’s best to create a bit of overlap between the time your new content is live, and the old distributed content is removed. This is because each store has a review process that takes a bit of time.

    That’s why we advise to proceed with this step after your release has been confirmed by PlayTreks and the chosen release date has passed. Contact your old distributor and request that your old content is taken down from stores. The takedown process varies per distributor. Here’s some information to get you going:

  4. Verify that you do not have any auto-renewing subscriptions.
    Although this step is optional, we added it because we feel that some distributors make it hard for you to cancel your auto-renewing subscriptions. You won’t find out until after you are charged for another couple of years. So, in general, we advise you to pay attention to a proper closing of your account and cancellation of any recurring payment plans.