We’re often asked by our artists & labels how to make sure their streams on Spotify link up across two versions of the same recording. There’s a few reasons why this might be something you need help with:
You’re switching from another distributor to EmuBands.
If this is you, we recommend reading this guide instead – Can I Switch to EmuBands from Another Distributor?
You’re releasing a single which also appears on an EP/Album.
If so, keep reading!
We have a lot of experience in making sure artists and labels give themselves the best chance of their play counts on Spotify transferring over when they have already distributed the track through us on a previous release.
It is important to bear in mind, that whilst track linking is never 100% guaranteed, to give yourself the best chance of linking two versions of a recording, you should ensure that the metadata is as identical as possible. This means that when you are adding the new version to your user dashboard area, you should make sure that the following factors are the exact same as the version which has been previously released;
- Track Title
- Version Information (Like ‘Acoustic Version’, ‘Live Version’, etc.)
- Artist Name
- ISRC (What is an ISRC?)
- Audio File – really important
The chances of the track play-counts linking are decreased with each differing piece of data listed above between the two recordings. So, whilst it isn’t a guarantee that the play-counts will transfer, if you make sure that everything listed above matches, then you’re giving yourself the best chance.
Spotify recommend all new releases are delivered to them at least 5 business days before the release date, to ensure that your release is processed properly. For this reason, we would still recommend adding your release to our system at least 1 week before your release date.
If you’d like us to assist you through this process, simply get in touch. If you have an EmuBands Basic or Plus subscription, you can contact us via the ‘Support’ tab of your EmuBands account. If you have an EmuBands Pro subscription, contact your account manager, and they will be able to help.