How to Cancel DistroKid (And What to Do With Your Music After)

If you're reading this, you've already done the math. You know what you're paying, you know what you're getting, and you've decided it's time to move on. Here's exactly how to cancel DistroKid — and what to do with your music so nothing disappears in the process.

Before You Cancel: What Happens to Your Music

This is the part most artists miss — and it's important enough to put first.

When you cancel your DistroKid subscription, your music doesn't stay live. DistroKid will pull your releases from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, and every other platform they distribute to. This typically happens within 7 to 30 days after your subscription lapses.

That means streams stop. Playlist placements disappear. Any Spotify for Artists data tied to those releases goes dark. Links you've shared on social media, in your bio, on your website — all of them stop working.

DistroKid does offer a "Leave a Legacy" add-on ($29/year per album, $4.95/year per single) that keeps your music live even after you cancel. Whether it's worth using depends on your timeline. If you're moving fast and can get your catalog re-uploaded to a new distributor before you cancel, you don't need it. If there's going to be a gap — pay for it on your highest-priority releases.

The bottom line: Don't cancel first and figure out the migration later. Do it in the other order.

Step-by-Step: How to Cancel DistroKid

The process is straightforward once you find the right settings page. Here's where to go:

1. Log in to your DistroKid account at distrokid.com
2. Click your profile picture or avatar in the top-right corner
3. Select "Settings" from the dropdown menu
4. Scroll to the "Subscription" section
5. Click "Cancel Subscription" — DistroKid may show you a retention offer here (a discounted renewal). Skip it if you've already decided to leave.
6. Confirm the cancellation when prompted

Your subscription will remain active until the end of your current billing period. After that, the clock starts on your music being removed from platforms.

Pro tip: Screenshot your confirmation page and note the exact date your subscription ends. You'll use this to time your re-upload to a new platform.

The "Leaving Period" — What to Do Before You Cancel

Don't hit that cancel button until you've done this. The 15–30 minutes this takes will save you from headaches later.

Pre-Cancellation Checklist

• Download your ISRC codes. Go to each release in your DistroKid dashboard and record the ISRC codes assigned to every track. ISRCs are tied to your streaming data — royalty collection societies use them to track your earnings. If you re-upload the same track with the same ISRC, your historical streaming data carries over. If you upload with a new ISRC, you start fresh. Your call, but know the difference.

• Screenshot your streaming stats. Take screenshots of your Spotify for Artists data, YouTube analytics, and any other platform dashboards you have access to. Once the releases are pulled, you can't go back and retrieve this data. Save it as a record of your catalog's performance history.

• Save your release metadata. Export or copy the details for every release: track titles, featured artists, production credits, release dates, UPC codes, genre tags, and any mood/genre classifications. You'll need all of this when you re-upload.

• Download your audio files and cover art. Grab the original WAV or FLAC files for every track plus the high-resolution cover art (3000×3000 px minimum). Don't assume you can access these later — get them now while you're still logged in.

• Notify your listeners. If you have an email list or an active social following, give people a heads-up that links may briefly be unavailable while you move platforms. This is also a natural moment to direct them to your website or a pre-save link on the new platform.

• Collect outstanding earnings. Make sure any unpaid balance in your DistroKid account is requested before you close it out. Log into your DistroKid bank and initiate a withdrawal if there's a balance sitting there.

Where to Move Your Music After

You need a new home before you cancel, not after.

The gap between "music removed from DistroKid" and "music live on the new platform" can be days or weeks depending on how fast you move. During that window, your music doesn't exist on streaming platforms. Protect that window by having your next distributor lined up and your files ready to upload before you initiate the cancellation.

If you've been comparing options, TRUE VISION is the natural landing spot for artists leaving DistroKid. The core difference: $9.99/month flat — no per-release fees, no percentage cut taken from your royalties, no W-2 required before you can collect what you earned. Where DistroKid charges you per year and offers no sample or licensing verification, TRUE VISION includes beat licensing verification as part of the platform — so tracks built on sampled or licensed beats are reviewed before they go live, not flagged and pulled six months later. Royalty payouts go out via ACH, PayPal, or check. You don't need to be a registered business entity or file tax forms to collect your own money. If you want to see how the numbers stack up for your catalog size, run them through the distribution fee calculator — it takes 30 seconds and shows you exactly what each platform costs at your stream count and release volume.

For a deeper breakdown of how distribution platforms compare, see Music Distribution Companies Compared.

Re-Upload Checklist

Once you've picked your new platform, here's everything to have ready before you start uploading:

• Audio files — WAV or FLAC, 16-bit or 24-bit, 44.1 kHz or higher. Most platforms won't accept MP3 for distribution.
• Cover art — 3000×3000 pixels, RGB color, JPG or PNG. Make sure text is legible at thumbnail size.
• ISRC codes — Either use the codes from your DistroKid releases (to maintain streaming history continuity) or request new ones from your new distributor. Note: re-using an ISRC on a new platform requires that the metadata matches the original release exactly.
• UPC codes — Same logic as ISRCs. If the release is a complete album or EP, the UPC identifies the project as a whole.
• Track metadata — Title, featured artists, songwriters, producers, lyrics (if applicable), release date, genre, mood tags.
• Lyrics files — Some platforms support synchronized lyrics. Have your .lrc or plain-text lyrics ready if you want to enable this.
• Prior release dates — Using the original release date (not the re-upload date) helps preserve your catalog's timeline on streaming platforms and avoids artificially resetting "New Release" status.

If you're unsure about ISRC re-use: TRUE VISION can assign new ISRCs at upload. The tradeoff is a clean slate on streaming history. For most catalog tracks, that's fine. For releases with significant playlist placement or algorithmic momentum, re-using the original ISRC is usually the better move.

Bottom Line

Canceling DistroKid is straightforward — Settings, Subscription, Cancel, done. The move that matters is everything you do before that button gets clicked: pull your files, save your stats, grab your ISRC codes, and have your music ready to upload somewhere else before the subscription lapses.

Moving to a platform that doesn't take a cut of your earnings is even better.

You built the catalog. You put in the time. The distribution platform is just the infrastructure — and infrastructure shouldn't be taxing your growth.

See TRUE VISION's pricing →