Moving five hundred albums to a new distributor is a high-risk operation. Most labels treat migration as a simple file transfer. They export a CSV from their old provider and upload it to the new one. This approach usually fails. Metadata fields do not map perfectly. Original release dates get replaced by the upload date. ISRC codes get mistyped.
A failed migration breaks your streaming history. If the metadata does not match exactly, DSPs treat the re-upload as a new release. You lose your play counts. You lose your playlist placements.
A successful music catalog migration strategy requires a central source of truth that exists outside of your distributor.
The audit phase
Start by exporting every piece of data from your current provider. Do not rely on their dashboard for the final check. Distributors often modify your data to fit their internal requirements. You need the raw values for every ISRC, UPC, and composer credit.
Create a master spreadsheet. List every track. Verify that the audio files match the metadata. It is common to find that a "Radio Edit" in the title does not match the file name. Fix these discrepancies now. If you move bad data to a new partner, you only make the problem harder to solve later.
Standardizing your metadata
Every distributor has different rules for contributor roles. One might require "Producer" while another uses "Produced by". These small differences cause delivery errors.
Standardize your records using the DDEX provider guidelines. This is the industry standard for music data exchange. Ensure every artist has their Spotify and Apple Music URI linked in your records. This prevents the "wrong artist profile" issue that plagues bulk migrations.
Check your publishing information. Ensure the mechanical royalty splits are documented for every song. Most migration errors happen because a required field in the new system was optional in the old one.
Managing the transition
Do not cancel your old distribution contract immediately. You need an overlap period.
Upload your catalog to the new distributor while the old releases are still live. Use the exact same ISRC and UPC codes. Set the original release dates to match the initial launch. Once the new versions are delivered to DSPs, they should link to the existing tracks. You will see the play counts merge.
Only after the tracks have linked should you issue a takedown notice to your old distributor. This "link then delete" method minimizes downtime. It keeps your music available to listeners throughout the move.
Vandall as your catalog hub
Vandall is built for the business side of music. It acts as the permanent home for your masters and metadata.
When you store your catalog in Vandall, you are not locked into a single distributor's format. You manage your roster, track credits, and high-resolution assets in one place. If you decide to change distribution partners again in three years, you will not have to scrape data from a dashboard. You simply pull the clean records from your own workspace.
The platform allows labels to organize assets by project. You can store the final master, the instrumental, and the stems alongside the metadata. This keeps your team aligned. Everyone knows where the official version of a track lives.
Verification
After the migration is complete, audit your presence on streaming platforms. Check the "appears on" sections for your artists. Verify that the credits are visible and correct.
Data integrity is the foundation of a long-term music business. A migration is an opportunity to clean up years of messy record-keeping. Do the work once and keep your data in a system you control.
