Guide
How to change or remove a song on Spotify: name, cover art and takedowns
Spotify for Artists lets you manage your profile, not your releases. Your song's name, artwork and availability all come from whoever delivered it, usually your distributor. So nearly every change starts there, and what's possible depends on which distributor you use.
Updated November 2, 2026
Short answer
To change or remove a song on Spotify, go through your label or distributor. They send Spotify the update or the takedown, and Spotify asks for at least 2 business days to process it. You can't change your artist name yourself either: your distributor asks Spotify's Content Operations team, then redelivers each release under the new name. Track order can't be changed, so that needs a new release.
What to do, in order
Decide if it's an edit or a removal
A wrong title, name or cover can often be edited while the release stays live. Removing it means losing that release's place on Spotify, so edit first if your distributor allows it.
Check your distributor's rules
They differ. DistroKid takes artwork edits on a live release, while CD Baby locks cover art once a release is delivered. Read your own distributor's page before you delete anything.
Submit the change
Use your distributor's edit form or takedown option. If you're with a label, ask the label to send it.
Give it time, then check
Spotify needs at least 2 business days. Other services can take longer, and DistroKid says up to 1 to 2 weeks for changes to show everywhere.
Contact your distributor if nothing moves
If a takedown still shows after 2 business days, Spotify's advice is to contact your distributor, who can check the delivery and send it again.
What you can change, and who does it
Spotify takes this information from your distributor's delivery, so you can't fix any of it from your Spotify for Artists page.
| Change | Who does it | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Artist name | Your label or distributor asks Spotify's Content Operations team | Once confirmed, each release is redelivered under the new name |
| Cover art | Your distributor redelivers the art | Some distributors allow this on a live release, others don't |
| Song title | Your distributor sends an update | At least 2 business days on Spotify |
| Track order, or adding and removing songs | Not an edit | Spotify requires a redelivery under a new UPC |
| Removing a release | Your label or distributor sends a takedown | At least 2 business days on Spotify |
How to change your artist name on Spotify
Your artist name comes from the metadata delivered to Spotify, so you can't type a new one in. Your label or distributor asks Spotify's Content Operations team to process the change, and once that's confirmed, they redeliver the metadata for each release with the new name.
DistroKid is the most detailed about what this costs you. Its help page says most stores create a new artist page rather than renaming the old one, so your followers and monthly listeners will likely start again. Play counts and playlist placements should stay when you use its edit form, though that's up to the stores. Its pages give different timings, from up to a couple of weeks on its rebrand page to up to several months on its edits page, so allow plenty of time.
- Change every release. DistroKid warns that stores might hide releases if some carry the old name and some the new one.
- Keep your music live while you do it. DistroKid says stores won't let you delete a release and re-upload it under a different artist name.
- Search for the new name first. If it matches another artist, your music can end up on their page.
- Treat it as one-way. Going back takes another request, and any lost followers aren't guaranteed to return.
How to change album art on Spotify
This is where distributors differ most, so check yours before you plan around a new cover. The new art also has to meet the same requirements as a new upload.
| Distributor | Cover art on a live release |
|---|---|
| DistroKid | Submit an edit request from the release page. It says changes can take up to 1 to 2 weeks to reach every service. |
| TuneCore | Its help page doesn't name cover art. For changes outside its locked list, it recommends taking the release down and distributing a new version, because it can't guarantee every store will accept a change to the existing one. |
| CD Baby | Locked once delivered. You'd have to cancel distribution and submit a new release, and cancelling is final. |
From each company's help pages on 2 November 2026. Other distributors have their own rules.
How to remove a song from Spotify
Ask your label or distributor to send a takedown. If you can't reach them, Spotify says you can make a claim through its infringement form.
To take down one song from an album, expect to replace the whole release, because the tracklist can't be edited. Spotify requires a new UPC for a changed tracklist, and TuneCore says stores treat a resubmission as a new product.
- After removal, a direct link may still open the song. It shows as gray and can't be played, unless another version is available in your country.
- Spotify can't fully delete an artist profile. If all your music is removed, the profile stops appearing in Spotify search, and an existing link may show an empty page.
- At TuneCore, a takedown is permanent and the release needs a new UPC if you bring it back. Stores also drop its reviews, comments and store playlist spots.
- Your distributor may charge you again to redistribute, depending on your plan, so check before you take anything down.
If you didn't ask for it to be removed
If a song vanished or went gray and you didn't request it, contact your distributor first, because Spotify says they'll have more information. If a takedown was sent by mistake, the distributor can send an update that restores the rights, and Spotify says the music should be live again within 2 business days.
If someone else uploaded your song
If the song is yours and someone else released it, you can't remove it through your own distributor, because they didn't deliver it. You need to report it. If it's another artist's song sitting on your profile, Spotify has a content mismatch form in Spotify for Artists, and it says fixes usually take a few days.
How Traxure helps
After a change like this, you need to know it landed, and that nothing else went with it. Traxure checks your Spotify profile every 12 hours and your full catalog on 12 platforms every day. If a release goes missing on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL, SoundCloud or Pandora, it emails you the before, the after and a note to your distributor ready to send. It works with any distributor, and monitoring starts with a seven-day free trial.
Spotify, DistroKid, TuneCore and CD Baby's details were checked on their own pages on 2 November 2026.
Questions artists ask
Can I change my artist name in Spotify for Artists?
No. Spotify says the name comes from the metadata your label or distributor delivers. They ask Spotify's Content Operations team to process the change, then redeliver each release with the new name.
Will I lose my followers if I change my artist name?
You might. Spotify's page doesn't say either way. DistroKid says most stores create a new artist page, so followers and monthly listeners will likely start over, though play counts and playlist placements should stay when you use its edit form.
Can I change my album cover after release?
It depends on your distributor. DistroKid accepts an edit request on a live release. CD Baby locks cover art once it's delivered, so you'd need to cancel and submit a new release.
How long does it take to remove a song from Spotify?
Spotify says at least 2 business days after it receives the takedown. If the song is still up after that, contact your distributor. Other services can take longer, and DistroKid says up to 1 to 2 weeks for a release to leave them all.
Can I delete my Spotify artist profile?
Not fully. Spotify says it can't delete artist profiles. If all your music is removed, the profile stops showing in Spotify search, and an existing direct link may still open an empty page.
Why does my song show as gray or not available?
Spotify says a removed track can still open through a direct link, but it's gray and can't be played. If you didn't ask for that, contact your distributor, who can see what was sent.
Can I remove one song from an album?
Not as an edit. Spotify says the track structure can't change after delivery, so the album needs redelivering under a new UPC. You can usually reuse the same ISRCs for the songs that haven't changed.
Sources
- Spotify: changing your artist name
- Spotify: removing your music
- Spotify: music still live after a takedown
- Spotify: music unexpectedly removed
- Spotify: update not showing
- Spotify: music mixed up with another artist
- DistroKid: changing your artist name
- DistroKid: editing a release
- DistroKid: changing artwork after upload
- DistroKid: deleting a release
- TuneCore: making changes to a release
- TuneCore: changes that can't be made after distribution
- CD Baby: changing cover art after delivery
Traxure
Know the same day, not weeks later.
Traxure checks your releases on Spotify and other platforms around the clock, confirms a change before alerting you and tells you what to do next. Seven-day free trial.
Pricing
Plans from $12 a month.
7-day free trial on every plan. Cancel anytime.
- Artist $12/mo
- Manager $69/mo
- Label $199/mo