Steps on how to switch to EngineEars by migrating your existing release from another distribution service
EngineEars makes it easy for you to consolidate your prior releases to the EngineEars platform to take full advantage of global Streaming releases, Sell Direct releases, and hiring professional recording studios, mixing and master engineers for your next record.
Follow these steps to switch your existing releases from another distribution service.
1. Create your Streaming release on EngineEars then submit it.
When asked to select a Release Type, choose "Migrate Existing Release".
- Migrate Existing Release: This is an existing release that has previously been distributed to streaming services and digital stores before. By specifying the Original Release Date, UPC/EAN, ISRC codes, and keeping all the uploaded audio files and metadata exactly the same, streaming platforms and stores will consider this upload to be the same release.
Required: When re-releasing your music via EngineEars and switching from another distribution service, it is important to keep the release identical to before.
Doing so will ensure that streaming platforms maintain stream counts and/or playlist placements for your previously released music (currently live). Failing to do so would create a new release on streaming platforms and reset all stream counts or playlists since it'd be considered a new release.
Make sure you upload exact same audio files/assets and input identical information and metadata details exactly as shown in your live release when you had distributed before via your previous distribution service. Migrating back catalog to another distributor is never 100% guaranteed, but you can give it the best possible chance of success by ensuring everything is identical in your submission.
All metadata should match exactly 1:1 with your original release via the previous distributor, including:
- Artist Names
- Original Release Date
- Album Cover Art
- UPC/EAN
- Album Title
- Track Count
- Track Duration
- Song Titles
- Song Versions
- ISRCs
- Language
- Parental Advisory
- Label Name
- Song Credits (Songwriter names, Producer names etc)
- Make sure you upload the exact same audio file(s) from your original release. Any variations to the file format, track duration, or compression in your audio file will result in your track not being linked to the original release.
2. Wait 2-3 days for your Streaming release distributed via EngineEars to be approved and sent. to streaming services and digital stores. You can monitor its release status.
3. Once your migrated release has gone live on streaming platforms, you will notice a duplicate appearing in streaming services and stores (e.g. in Spotify, you can see this duplicate by clicking the "1 more release" button). This is a normal part of the migration process, and allows you to verify everything. This means the release was delivered and automatically linked to the existing track/album.
Confirm the stream counts, playlist placements, and/or fan saves are identical (e.g. check Spotify and Apple Music) for each track or album, by confirming the original release with the migrated release (duplicate).
If they don't match, it is likely because the metadata, ISRCs, UPCs/EANs, audio files, and assets used in the migration were not identical to the original release.
4. Once confirmed that the migrated release is live and matches up, log in to your previous distribution service and request a takedown or removal of your original release.
Notes:
- There is a possibility that your release may appear duplicated in streaming platforms or digital stores for a while (usually a temporary overlap) before your previous distribution service completes the removal of your release. In Spotify, you can see this duplicate by clicking the "1 more release" button.
- There is also the possibility that customer purchase reviews of your release on iTunes or Amazon Music may not be preserved.
- When transferring back catalog from another distributor to EngineEars, we cannot access historical streaming analytics and/or royalty earnings data from your previous distribution service. Unfortunately, other distributors do not share or transfer their data to us. To access historical analytics data before migrating your catalog, you can use your previous distributor and/or view the analytics in the streaming platforms directly. EngineEars can only provide analytics data after the back catalog has successfully migrated over.
- After migrating your back catalog, if you uploaded using the identical assets, audio files, artwork, metadata, ISRCs, and UPCs, then all of the stream counts and playlist placements are preserved for each track and/or album on streaming platforms.