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What Happens to Your Music When You Stop Paying Your Distributor?

Every subscription distributor has a cancellation policy — and they differ wildly. Some delete your music. Some keep it live but take a bigger cut. Here's exactly what each major platform does, so you're never surprised.

Distributors that REMOVE your music

• DistroKid: music comes down when you cancel — unless you bought Leave a Legacy ($29/single, $49/album).
• TuneCore: releases are removed when your plan expires.
• Symphonic: releases come down if you don't renew.
• Ditto (Starter): releases come down on lapse.

Distributors that KEEP it live (with a catch)

• Amuse: music stays live, but Amuse keeps 25% of all future royalties after you cancel. That "free" plan gets expensive.
• RouteNote: releases stay live; if you were on Premium and miss the $9.99/year renewal, your share drops from 100% to 85%.
• LANDR: catalog stays live but LANDR takes a 15% commission after cancellation (vs 0% while subscribed).
• Too Lost: releases stay live but your share drops from 100% to 85%.
• CD Baby: one-time fee ($9.99/single), no subscription — your music stays up permanently, CD Baby keeps 9% forever.

Why this matters before you choose

Ask yourself: if I quit music for a year, do my songs survive? With takedown-style distributors, a lapsed credit card can erase your catalog, your playlist placements, and your stream history overnight. Re-uploading later means starting from zero — new ISRCs, lost playlists, lost algorithmic momentum.

What to do right now

1. Read your distributor's cancellation terms today — don't wait until you want to leave.
2. Keep your payment method current if your music depends on an active subscription.
3. If switching distributors, keep the old one active until the new delivery is live everywhere — never create a gap.
4. Your ISRC codes stay with the recordings, so stream counts can transfer if you move carefully.

Read our full distributor comparison →