Releases & delivery: music distribution help

From submission to going live on stores. How long until my release goes live? Why does my music sound different on Spotify or Apple Music? Can I edit a release after submitting? What if a store rejects my release? Can I switch from another distributor and keep my UPC/ISRC? Why does accurate metadata matter? Will my catalog have DSP downtime when I migrate? What about pending royalty at the old distributor? Do I need to keep my old distributor account? Does Spotify for Artists get affected by migration? What’s the migration fee? My catalog is large (>100 releases) — bulk support?

• How long until my release goes live? — After you submit, the release is reviewed and delivered to your chosen stores — typically within 24 hours. Each store then has its own ingestion window, so set the release date at least 2 weeks ahead to avoid release-day delays.
• Why does my music sound different on Spotify or Apple Music? — Streaming services apply their own loudness normalization and compression on playback. That processing is done by the platform, not Spilix, and small audible differences from your master are normal.
• Can I edit a release after submitting? — While a release is still in review you can ask for changes; once it’s delivered, some fields (like the label name on certain stores) are locked by the platform. Fix metadata before submitting whenever possible.
• What if a store rejects my release? — You’ll see the reason on the delivery status list. Correct the issue (often artwork or metadata) and re-submit — the release is re-queued to the affected stores.
• Can I switch from another distributor and keep my UPC/ISRC? — Yes. Tick "This release was distributed before" in the editor and enter your existing UPC and original release date so your streams and codes carry over instead of creating a duplicate.
• Why does accurate metadata matter? — Titles, artist names, credits, ISRCs and release dates are what stores use to display and match your music. Inaccurate or misleading metadata is a common cause of rejections and wrong artist-page mapping.
• Will my catalog have DSP downtime when I migrate? — Not if done right. Spilix re-delivers BEFORE the old distributor takes down. DSPs see both sources briefly, prioritizing the newer one. Stream count is preserved because the UPC/ISRC matches.
• What about pending royalty at the old distributor? — You still receive full royalty from the old distributor for the period they distributed. After migration, new royalty flows to Spilix.
• Do I need to keep my old distributor account? — Keep the account until you receive all pending royalties, then you can close it. Spilix doesn’t require you to keep it.
• Does Spotify for Artists get affected by migration? — No. S4A profile is tied to your Spotify URI, not to the distributor. Migration doesn’t affect claimed profiles.
• What’s the migration fee? — Free. Migration is included in every Spilix plan. You only pay normal subscription.
• My catalog is large (>100 releases) — bulk support? — Yes. Label Enterprise plan has a Bulk Upload tool, supports migrating thousands of releases. Email migrations@spilix.co for priority handling.