Reuploading Song (Play Count)

[ben007]

Hello,

I have a song on Spotify that's done pretty well with over 30,000 plays.  

However, when I listened to it today, I was mortified to discover that there was some distorted crackling in.

This is my fault and I want to remove the track from Spotify, fix it and reupload it. However, if I do this, will my plays start from zero again, or will they return to 30,000?

Thanks in advance,

Ben

PS I wasn't sure where to put this message so please let me know if I'm in the wrong forum! 

[MattSuda · Accepted solution]

Hey @ben007

It is suggested to reupload the new version of the song and let it go live and link to the old version before you remove the old song.

The metadata will need to be the same and the key to getting the play counts to link is to use the same ISRC code as the old release. If your distrubutor does not show you the ISRC code in the information about the release you may need to contact them so that way when you re-release it you can enter the same code.

From Spotify:

First, re-upload the new content with identical audio and metadata, e.g. the same audio, ISRC code, track title, artist name and duration. The new version can have a different UPC code. 

To avoid content availability gaps, take down the old version a couple of days after the new version goes live. Providing you deliver the new version with the same metadata, track linking will be successful and play counts will be transferred across. 

-------------------------

When the releases are linked, they will be combined into one album page. Then at the bottom right of the album page in the desktop app, there will be a black button that says "1 more release" or something to show that there are different versions.

So yeah, once you have confirmed the play counts have linked, you can take down the old release and it will take a few days to be removed.

If the play counts have not been linked after a few days, do not remove the old release yet. You will need to contact artist support and mention you would like the play count on the new release to be linked to the old release. https://artists.spotify.com/contact You might not get a reply so keep checking your artist page to see if they have been linked.

Then after you can confirm that Spotify has linked the releases you can remove the old one.

[ben007 · Accepted solution]

That's brilliant, thanks so much.  

[MattSuda]

You're welcome!

[ben007]

Gah, Distrokid won't let me upload a track with the same title.

So do I:

a. Change the title - perhaps add (New Master) to the end and hope they match up?

or 

b. Delete the old version on Distrokid, and immediately replace with the new one as soon as I can? 

[MattSuda]

Hey @ben007

DistroKid has amazing support and they usually reply with 24 hours.

I suggest emailing them and letting them know the situation. The title has to be the exact same and it is not recommended to delete the old release until after the new release has been linked to the old one (same play count.

https://distrokid.desk.com/customer/portal/emails/new

[pirxthepilot]

@ben007 did you ever manage to solve it with Distrokid? I'm also in a similar situation and want to keep the plays intact.

[ben007]

Hello,

Yes, I contacted Distrokid.  They said that it's not possible to upload the same song again, but suggested that I remove the old song from Distrokid and them immediately upload the repaired version.

They say that it takes less time to put songs in stores than it does to remove them; so the two should coexist for a while before Spotify automatically merges them.

Indeed, at this point (two weeks later) both songs are still on Spotify, but the new version is the one in my discography.  However, the old one with the crackle is still the one in my "popular" plays so I'll try and remember how it pans out after it's finally been removed from Spotify.

Ben

[pirxthepilot]

That's great to hear! Does your song happen to be in any playlist, and if so, does the playlist feature the new version?

Thanks so much for the info, it's been a great help!

[ben007]

That's a good point - I'm not actually sure!  It's not in any major playlists so I can't really check unfortunately.

[MattSuda]

Usually once the songs link, any playlist that had the old song should play the new one in its place.

[ben007]

Thanks for clarifying, Matt.

[pirxthepilot]

Excellent, thank you Matt and Ben!

[Idrise]

---

@MattSuda wrote:

Hey @ben007

It is suggested to reupload the new version of the song and let it go live and link to the old version before you remove the old song.

The metadata will need to be the same and the key to getting the play counts to link is to use the same ISRC code as the old release. If your distrubutor does not show you the ISRC code in the information about the release you may need to contact them so that way when you re-release it you can enter the same code.

From Spotify:

First, re-upload the new content with identical audio and metadata, e.g. the same audio, ISRC code, track title, artist name and duration. The new version can have a different UPC code. 

To avoid content availability gaps, take down the old version a couple of days after the new version goes live. Providing you deliver the new version with the same metadata, track linking will be successful and play counts will be transferred across. 

-------------------------

When the releases are linked, they will be combined into one album page. Then at the bottom right of the album page in the desktop app, there will be a black button that says "1 more release" or something to show that there are different versions.

So yeah, once you have confirmed the play counts have linked, you can take down the old release and it will take a few days to be removed.

If the play counts have not been linked after a few days, do not remove the old release yet. You will need to contact artist support and mention you would like the play count on the new release to be linked to the old release. https://artists.spotify.com/contact You might not get a reply so keep checking your artist page to see if they have been linked.

Then after you can confirm that Spotify has linked the releases you can remove the old one.

---

To take this a bit deeper....

If 10 thousand people have that song saved in their personal playlists... or if that song is on other playlists... will it still be there after you do this? THAT is the part that would affect an artists future play-counts the most!

[yoo]

Yes will saves of the song still be there or playlist adds too? What's the point of saving the play count if it's not saved by anyone who originally saved it?

[austin_young]

Does using the same ISRC code work with changing your artist name? Like say distribute the same audio via CD Baby using a different artist name but using the same ISRC code. Any idea if that would work?

[MattSuda]

@yoo @Idrise

Sorry for the late reply.

Yes, if someone has the song saved to their library or the song is in a playlist, it stays there. It links to the new version automatically like magic (if the songs linked correctly) if the songs don't link and they never successfully link, then the old songs are still saved and still in the playlist, they will just be greyed out and unplayable as it is unavailable.

[MattSuda · Accepted solution]

Hey @austin_young

Using the same ISRC code alone is not enough to guarantee a link. The metadata such as artist, song title, song length, similar audio file, etc also play a role in if it links, and each piece of metadata that doesn't match decreases the chance of it being linked.

Your best bet is to reupload the song/abum with the same ISRC code and song title and everything with the new artist name and if it doesn't link, you can try to contact support:

https://artists.spotify.com/contact

[yannickwilde]

Hey@austin_young 

I have the same issue - curious to know if Matt's advice worked for you? 

[austin_young]

We ended up deciding to not change our name.

I haven't used any other 3rd party distributors, but I know that when you distribute a song or album through CD Baby, you have the option to add additional artists. Maybe if you follow Matt's instructions by keeping the audio, info, and song title the same, while adding your old artist name as an additional artist, it will link the song.

If you do try this, report back! I'm curious to know for the future.