What Happens When You Cancel Your Music Distributor? | Kinjari Blog ![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1772224890303752&ev=PageView&noscript=1) [ ![Kinjari logo](/imgs/logo.png) ](https://www.kinjari.com) [For Artists](https://www.kinjari.com/music-distribution) [For Labels](https://www.kinjari.com/music-distribution-for-independent-labels) [For Distributors](https://www.kinjari.com/music-distribution-api) Features [ All Features ](https://www.kinjari.com/features) [ Biolinks ](https://www.kinjari.com/biolinks) [ YouTube ContentID ](https://www.kinjari.com/youtube-contentid) [ Release Calendar ](https://www.kinjari.com/release-calendar) [ File Manager ](https://www.kinjari.com/file-manager) [ Revenue Splits ](https://www.kinjari.com/features/revenue-splits) [ Artist Tools ](https://www.kinjari.com/artist-tools) [Blog](https://www.kinjari.com/blog) [FAQ](https://www.kinjari.com/faq) [Sign In](https://app.kinjari.com/login) [Get Started](https://app.kinjari.com/register) ![Kinjari logo](/imgs/logo.png) [ Home ](https://www.kinjari.com) [ For Artists ](https://www.kinjari.com/music-distribution) [ For Labels ](https://www.kinjari.com/music-distribution-for-independent-labels) [ For Distributors ](https://www.kinjari.com/music-distribution-api) Features [ All Features ](https://www.kinjari.com/features) [ Biolinks ](https://www.kinjari.com/biolinks) [ YouTube ContentID ](https://www.kinjari.com/youtube-contentid) [ Release Calendar ](https://www.kinjari.com/release-calendar) [ File Manager ](https://www.kinjari.com/file-manager) [ Revenue Splits ](https://www.kinjari.com/features/revenue-splits) [ Artist Tools ](https://www.kinjari.com/artist-tools) [ Blog ](https://www.kinjari.com/blog) [ FAQ ](https://www.kinjari.com/faq) [ Sign In ](https://app.kinjari.com/login) [ Get Started ](https://app.kinjari.com/register) Mon, Sep 14, 2026 What Happens When You Cancel Your Music Distributor? ==================================================== Cancelling a music distributor can leave your releases live, schedule them for removal or stop future uploads. Here is what cancel really means for music, royalties and migration. On this page - [ Cancellation can mean four different things ](#cancellation-can-mean-four-different-things) - [ What happens at Kinjari, DistroKid and TuneCore? ](#what-happens-at-kinjari-distrokid-and-tunecore) - [ Will your music disappear from Spotify and Apple Music? ](#will-your-music-disappear-from-spotify-and-apple-music) - [ Do you lose your streams, saves and playlists? ](#do-you-lose-your-streams-saves-and-playlists) - [ What happens to royalties after cancellation? ](#what-happens-to-royalties-after-cancellation) - [ Worked case: DistroKid non-renewal and Leave a Legacy ](#worked-case-distrokid-non-renewal-and-leave-a-legacy) - [ Worked case: TuneCore per-release cancel to takedown ](#worked-case-tunecore-per-release-cancel-to-takedown) - [ Worked case: Kinjari management-only stay-live ](#worked-case-kinjari-management-only-stay-live) - [ What to save before you cancel ](#what-to-save-before-you-cancel) - [ If you are switching, overlap the deliveries ](#if-you-are-switching-overlap-the-deliveries) - [ When you should not cancel yet ](#when-you-should-not-cancel-yet) - [ The policy matters as much as the headline price ](#the-policy-matters-as-much-as-the-headline-price) - [ Frequently asked questions ](#frequently-asked-questions) - [ Does cancelling my distributor delete my Spotify streams? ](#does-cancelling-my-distributor-delete-my-spotify-streams) - [ Will my music stay live if I cancel DistroKid? ](#will-my-music-stay-live-if-i-cancel-distrokid) - [ What happens if I cancel a TuneCore release? ](#what-happens-if-i-cancel-a-tunecore-release) - [ What is a management-only account on Kinjari? ](#what-is-a-management-only-account-on-kinjari) - [ Can royalties still arrive after my music is taken down? ](#can-royalties-still-arrive-after-my-music-is-taken-down) - [ Should I cancel before or after switching distributors? ](#should-i-cancel-before-or-after-switching-distributors) - [ Do chargebacks count as a normal cancel? ](#do-chargebacks-count-as-a-normal-cancel) - [ Can a store remove my music even if my distributor says it stays live? ](#can-a-store-remove-my-music-even-if-my-distributor-says-it-stays-live) - [ What should I download first? ](#what-should-i-download-first) - [ Is cancelling the same as deleting a release? ](#is-cancelling-the-same-as-deleting-a-release) **Cancelling your music distributor does not pull your music off Spotify or Apple Music by itself.** Stores only remove a release when the distributor sends a takedown, or when the store removes it for its own reasons. Whether cancellation triggers that depends on the distributor. Some services schedule releases for removal when the paid term ends. Others leave the catalogue live and only stop new uploads. [DistroKid](/distrokid-alternative) also sells Leave a Legacy, a separate per-release fee that can protect eligible titles after non-renewal. Before you cancel, find out what happens to each release you care about, and how you still collect royalties already owed. If you are moving the catalogue, follow the switch sequence first: [how to switch music distributors without losing streams](/blog/switch-music-distributors). For DistroKid’s permanence add-on, see [DistroKid Leave a Legacy cost](/blog/distrokid-leave-a-legacy-cost). Cancellation can mean four different things ------------------------------------------- Distributors use the word *cancel* for several different actions: - **Stopping renewal:** your paid plan remains active until its renewal date, then ends. - **Taking down a release:** the distributor sends a removal request to the music services. - **Closing or limiting the account:** access to uploads, features or some records may change. - **Switching distributor:** you move the same recordings to a new provider while preserving identifiers and history where possible. Those actions are related, but they are not interchangeable. Stopping a renewal might trigger a takedown, or it might only stop future uploads. Removing one release should not necessarily close your whole account. Switching normally needs an overlap between the old and new deliveries. Mix them up and a tidy supplier change becomes missing releases, broken campaign links and a weekend spent reconstructing catalogue data you already had. What happens at Kinjari, DistroKid and TuneCore? ------------------------------------------------ Distributor What happens when the paid plan ends? Important detail **[Kinjari Artist](/music-distribution) or [Label](/music-distribution-for-independent-labels)** The account moves to management-only. Existing releases stay live, but you cannot upload new music. You can still receive and withdraw royalties. Ordinary cancellation is not a catalogue takedown. **[DistroKid](/distrokid-alternative)** DistroKid says releases may be removed if you do not renew the annual subscription. [Leave a Legacy](/blog/distrokid-leave-a-legacy-cost) can protect an eligible release from removal for a separate one-off fee. **TuneCore** You can cancel renewal for an individual release. That release is taken down at the end of its current renewal period. You can also request an earlier takedown. Store processing times vary. DistroKid’s current Musician plan is $24.99 a year in the US when mentioned for comparison. TuneCore’s Unlimited plans start at Rising Artist $24.99 a year, with Breakout at $44.99 and Professional at $54.99; pay-per-release singles are $24.99 a year and albums $44.99 then $56.49 on renewal. Figures checked on 7 September 2026 from TuneCore’s pricing page. Kinjari’s cancellation position is set out in the [Terms and Conditions](/terms) and in the help article [What happens when I cancel?](https://help.kinjari.com/article/32-what-happens-when-i-cancel). When a normal Artist or Label subscription ends, the catalogue already delivered through Kinjari remains in place and the account becomes management-only. Will your music disappear from Spotify and Apple Music? ------------------------------------------------------- Only if the distributor sends a takedown, or a music service removes it for another reason. A subscription ending is an event inside the distributor. Spotify, Apple Music and the other services do not independently know whether you meant to stop paying, switch provider or retire a record. They act on the delivery and takedown messages they receive. If your distributor’s policy ties non-renewal to removal, expect the catalogue to begin disappearing after the term ends and the takedowns are processed. It rarely vanishes everywhere at the same minute. One service may update before another, which can leave an awkward stretch where the release is available in some places and absent in others. If the policy leaves music live after cancellation, stopping the plan should not itself remove the release. You still need to watch your account, payment disputes and any notices about rights or store-policy problems. Do not cancel mid-campaign if a temporary missing listing would break press links, playlist pitches or advertising creatives that point at a store URL. Do you lose your streams, saves and playlists? ---------------------------------------------- Not automatically, and not because you cancelled. Streams and playlist placements are tied to how the stores identify the recording, not to whether you still pay a particular distributor this month. If you are *moving* a release, stores can usually match the replacement delivery to the existing recording when the key data stays the same: - the same audio file; - the same ISRC for every track; - the same UPC where the new distributor accepts it; - the same artist name, track title and version information; - the same original release date. That match gives you the best chance of preserving play counts, saves and playlist placements. It is not a promise that every service will display every number without interruption, but changing identifiers or metadata makes a clean match much less likely. If you cancel a distributor that then takes the release down, and you have not delivered a matched replacement first, listeners can hit an unavailable page. That is a gap, not a mysterious “algorithm reset” caused by the cancel button itself. For the full migration sequence, use the [switching guide](/blog/switch-music-distributors). Deliver through the new distributor first, wait until the replacement is live and matched, then request the old delivery’s removal. What happens to royalties after cancellation? --------------------------------------------- Music services report and pay on a delay. Royalties can continue arriving months after a release was streamed, and sometimes after it was removed. Before cancelling, find out: - whether your account remains accessible; - whether there is a minimum withdrawal amount; - which payout method is on file; - how long final reports remain downloadable; - whether split recipients need to take any action; - whether a pending payment or tax form is blocking withdrawals. DistroKid says artists still receive earnings already owed after a lapsed subscription. TuneCore’s release-level cancellation ends distribution for that release at period end, but money already earned still needs a reachable account and valid payout details. Kinjari’s management-only mode keeps royalty receipt and withdrawals available after an ordinary cancel. Ordinary cancellation is not the same as every possible account problem: - **Chargebacks and payment disputes:** reversing a subscription payment can trigger account action that goes beyond a polite non-renewal. - **Rights and copyright complaints:** a valid claim can remove a release whether or not you are subscribed. - **Store removals:** Spotify, Apple Music and others can remove content under their own rules. - **Abuse, fraud or manipulated-stream investigations:** distributors and stores can act on policy breaches separately from renewal. - **Artist-requested takedowns:** if you ask for removal, that is not a cancellation side-effect. It is an intentional takedown. Download statements while you still have full access. Treat the dashboard as a working tool, not your permanent archive. Worked case: DistroKid non-renewal and Leave a Legacy ----------------------------------------------------- You are on DistroKid Musician at $24.99 a year. You decide not to renew. Without Leave a Legacy on a release, DistroKid’s help centre says that release may be removed when the annual fee stops. You can still log in and receive earnings owed, but the store listing is no longer protected by the subscription alone. With Leave a Legacy on a chosen release, DistroKid says that release can stay available after a lapsed payment or cancellation. The add-on is per release, not account-wide. Current public pricing is in our [Leave a Legacy cost guide](/blog/distrokid-leave-a-legacy-cost), including the full catalogue maths. A sensible reading of that case: 1. If you plan to keep releasing on DistroKid, cancel is the wrong tool; keep the membership current. 2. If you plan to leave a small finished catalogue online without renewing, protect the releases that matter with Leave a Legacy, or move them first. 3. If you have a large singles catalogue, per-release permanence fees add up quickly; migrating before cancel is often cleaner. Do not buy Leave a Legacy on every experiment by default. Protect the titles with listeners, playlist history or long-term value. Worked case: TuneCore per-release cancel to takedown ---------------------------------------------------- You use TuneCore Rising at $24.99 a year, or you renew individual pay-per-release titles ($24.99 a year for a single; $44.99 then $56.49 for an album). When you cancel renewal for a release, TuneCore’s current guidance is that the release comes down at the end of its renewal period. You can also ask for an earlier takedown. Removals are processed by each store on its own timetable. - Cancelling is release-scoped, not “delete my whole career tonight”. - You still need a plan for every active title you care about. - If you are switching, get the replacement live first; otherwise you create a gap when the old period ends. - Keep statements and identifiers even after the listing disappears. Late royalties can still arrive. Artists sometimes treat Unlimited-plan cancellation as an account-level stay-live setting. On TuneCore it is not. Renewal and takedown are tied to the release’s paid period. Worked case: Kinjari management-only stay-live ---------------------------------------------- You are on [Kinjari Artist](/music-distribution) at $3 a month, or on [Label](/music-distribution-for-independent-labels). You cancel renewal in the account. You keep the paid benefits until the renewal date. After that, the account swaps to a free management-only account. You can receive and withdraw royalties. You cannot upload additional songs without a paid subscription again. On Kinjari, after an ordinary cancel your royalty share stays at 90% to you (10% platform fee). That does not change when the account becomes management-only. See the [terms](/terms) and the help article on [what happens when you cancel](https://help.kinjari.com/article/32-what-happens-when-i-cancel). Music already delivered stays live unless you request a takedown, or unless removal is required for copyright, abuse or similar reasons. Ordinary cancellation stops new uploads; it does not schedule the back catalogue for deletion. What to save before you cancel ------------------------------ Export or record the following while you still have full access: - UPC for every release; - ISRC for every track; - final WAV files and artwork; - exact metadata, contributor roles and copyright lines; - release dates and territory settings; - store links and artist-profile links; - royalty statements, tax records and split arrangements; - Content ID or social-claim status for each title; - the status of any release still being reviewed or delivered; - login recovery details and the payout method on file. Do not assume that a Spotify link contains enough information to rebuild the release later. It does not contain your full delivery metadata, contracts, split instructions or original files. Also write down *why* you are cancelling. Stopping spend, retiring a project, switching distributor and fixing a payment problem are different jobs. The right next step depends on which one you actually mean. If you are switching, overlap the deliveries -------------------------------------------- The safest sequence is not “cancel, then start again”. It is: 1. Open the new distribution account. 2. Recreate the release with the same recordings, identifiers and metadata. 3. Submit it to the same services. 4. Wait for it to appear and check that the stores have matched it correctly. 5. Only then ask the old distributor to remove its version or let a policy-driven takedown complete. A short overlap can produce a temporary duplicate in some services. That is normally easier to correct than a gap where the release is unavailable. Do not change the title, artwork, master or artist spelling during the move; make creative changes after the transfer is settled. Full detail lives in the [switching guide](/blog/switch-music-distributors). When you should not cancel yet ------------------------------ Wait if: - a release is still in review or has not reached every service; - a royalty payment or tax check is unresolved; - you have not saved your ISRCs, UPCs and source files; - your new distributor has not accepted the replacement catalogue; - you are mid-campaign and cannot tolerate a temporary listing problem; - a chargeback or rights notice is open on the account; - you still need upload access for a scheduled follow-up single. There is no prize for leaving quickly. The useful outcome is a clean catalogue, intact listener history and access to every pound or dollar already earned. The policy matters as much as the headline price ------------------------------------------------ A cheap annual plan can become expensive if keeping old releases live requires another purchase, or if a missed renewal turns into a catalogue rebuild. A monthly plan may cost more on paper but give you a cleaner exit. Compare the whole arrangement: renewal, takedowns, royalties, identifiers and what remains available after cancellation. With Kinjari Artist and Label plans, an ordinary cancellation moves the account to management-only while released music stays live. If that suits the way you want to release, [compare Kinjari’s plans](/pricing). Frequently asked questions -------------------------- ### Does cancelling my distributor delete my Spotify streams? No. Cancelling ends or changes your distribution account. Streams disappear from public view only if the release is taken down and not replaced with a matched delivery. Preserve ISRCs and metadata if you are moving. ### Will my music stay live if I cancel DistroKid? Not by default. DistroKid says releases may be removed if you stop paying the annual fee unless those releases have Leave a Legacy. See the [Leave a Legacy guide](/blog/distrokid-leave-a-legacy-cost) for the product detail. ### What happens if I cancel a TuneCore release? That release is taken down at the end of its renewal period, or sooner if you request an early takedown. Plan replacements before the period ends if you want the music to remain available. ### What is a management-only account on Kinjari? After an ordinary cancel, you keep royalty access and existing live releases, but you cannot upload new music until you resubscribe. Details are in the [Kinjari cancel help article](https://help.kinjari.com/article/32-what-happens-when-i-cancel). ### Can royalties still arrive after my music is taken down? Yes. Reporting is delayed. Keep account access, payout details and downloaded statements until late periods clear. ### Should I cancel before or after switching distributors? After. Deliver and match the new version first, then remove the old one. Follow [the switching sequence](/blog/switch-music-distributors). ### Do chargebacks count as a normal cancel? No. A payment dispute can trigger stronger account action than a polite non-renewal. Resolve billing issues deliberately rather than reversing charges to exit. ### Can a store remove my music even if my distributor says it stays live? Yes. Store policy, rights complaints and local rules can remove content independently of your distributor’s cancel policy. ### What should I download first? ISRCs, UPCs, masters, artwork, full metadata, statements, split records and store links. Without those, rebuilding later is guesswork. ### Is cancelling the same as deleting a release? Not always. Some cancels only stop renewal or uploads. A delete or takedown request specifically asks stores to remove the release. Know which action your dashboard is offering. You got the music. We'll get it out there. ------------------------------------------ Just $3/mo. You keep 90% of the royalties. 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