How to change your artist name on DistroKid

“Change my artist name” means two different things on DistroKid. Renaming the artist on songs that are already out is an edit request, and one request can update every release under that name. Releasing new music under a second, separate name is a new artist slot, and your plan may not have a spare one. Don’t delete your songs to rename them. Stores won’t take a re-upload under a new name. This covers DistroKid, Spotify and Apple Music as of Sep 24, 2026.

Change your artist name on releases that are already out

To change your artist name on DistroKid, open one of your releases, click Edit Release, type the new name and tick the Update all of my [Artist Name] releases to use the new artist name box, then click Submit Edit Request. That single request renames you on every release under the old name and goes out to every store. It only works on music that’s live in stores. The update-all box skips collaborations with another primary artist, so those need their own edit request. Submitting is instant. The stores updating is not.

All of this is on DistroKid’s page, Can I change my artist name? (confirmed Sep 24, 2026). Three details from it that trip people up:

• Every release has to match. If some of your releases show the new name and some show the old one, stores may hide the ones they think have conflicting info. So don’t rename only your newest single and leave the old ones. Use the checkbox, then go through the collaborations by hand.
• There’s no quick undo. Changing back means a second name change request, and DistroKid says any side effects of the first one aren’t guaranteed to go away when you switch back. Pick the name you’ll still like in two years.
• Check the name isn’t taken. If the new name matches or comes close to another artist’s, stores might put your music on their page. More on fixing that below.

DistroKid’s help pages on name changes don’t mention a fee for the edit request.

The request itself takes a minute. Waiting for every store is the slow part.

How to change your name on DistroKid for all platforms

One DistroKid edit request changes your artist name on every store it delivered to, but each store updates by hand, so expect a couple of weeks for most and sometimes several months for all of them. DistroKid says the updates aren’t fully automated: people at each store process them. There’s no separate form per platform, and you can’t do it yourself on the store side. Spotify’s own help page says you can’t manually change your artist name on Spotify, because the name comes from the metadata your distributor sends. Apple Music is the one that most often lags. If every store shows the new name except Apple Music and iTunes, DistroKid’s support team can push it through.

The timelines come from DistroKid’s guide to editing a release after it’s uploaded: most edits show everywhere within one to two weeks, and artist name rebrands are the exception that can take up to several months. Spotify’s side is on its page about changing your artist name, which says the distributor asks Spotify’s Content Operations team for the change and then redelivers each release with the new name. DistroKid does that part for you.

The Apple Music fix is on DistroKid’s page for when a name change didn’t update in Apple Music. Give it the full couple of weeks before you write in.

So plan around the slow case. If you’re rebranding ahead of a new single, submit the name change well before that single’s upload, so the new release isn’t the only thing in stores with the new name while your back catalog still shows the old one.

When that wait feels too long, deleting everything and starting over looks tempting. It’s the wrong move.

Edit request vs takedown and re-upload

TheDebutRoom’s advice is simple: never take a release down to change your artist name. An edit request keeps the same ISRC codes, so your play counts and playlist placements should stay with the songs. A takedown doesn’t even get you the new name, because DistroKid says stores won’t let you re-upload a release with a different artist name. If you’ve already deleted music to rebrand, the fix is backwards from what you’d expect: re-upload it under the original name, wait until it’s back in stores, then submit an edit request with the new one. The edit is the only route that works.

That order comes straight from DistroKid’s editing guide. It also says play counts and playlists staying is up to the stores, not DistroKid, so “should stay” is the honest wording.

Here’s why the ISRC matters so much. It’s the code stores use to know a recording is the same recording, and our explainer on what an ISRC code is covers the rest. DistroKid’s page on changing an ISRC after upload says it’s locked once the track is uploaded. Keep the ISRC and the streams count as the same song. Lose it and the song starts from zero, playlist adds included.

If you’re reading this after a panic takedown, you haven’t wrecked anything permanently. Re-upload with the original name and the same ISRC codes, then follow the edit route.

Your play counts can survive the rename. Your artist page is a different story.

What happens to your Spotify profile, followers and monthly listeners

Changing your artist name on DistroKid usually means a new artist page on Spotify and most other stores, so your followers and monthly listeners start over even though your play counts should stay. DistroKid says most stores create a brand new artist page instead of renaming the current one. A second risk: if the new name matches or comes close to another artist’s, your releases can land on that artist’s page instead. DistroKid’s Fixer tool at distrokid.com/fixer is where you request a new page for your music or move it to the right one. Spotify also has its own content mismatch form in Spotify for Artists.

This is the part that hurts, and it’s better to know it before you submit. A few hundred followers you built song by song won’t come along. The songs will, with their streams, but the follow button resets.

What to do about it:

• Tell people before it happens. Post the new name everywhere you have fans, and link the new page once it exists. Followers who care will follow again.
• Claim the new page. A new Spotify profile needs its own Spotify for Artists access. DistroKid’s Special Access menu is how you get in, and DistroKid’s page on adding a new artist to your Spotify for Artists account covers adding it next to your old one.
• Set up the profile. Check the new page’s photo, header and bio once you’re in, and add whatever’s missing. Our guide to changing your Spotify profile picture through DistroKid has the image steps.
• Fix wrong-page mapping fast. DistroKid’s page on music mixed up with another artist says to check who owns the oldest release on the page before picking a Fixer option, and warns that fixes can take several weeks. Spotify’s content mismatch page says its form usually resolves within a few days.

Neither help center describes a way to carry followers from an old page to a new one, so don’t count on it.

All of that is about renaming an artist. Adding a second name is a different decision, and it’s the one your plan controls.

Artist names for new releases and plan limits

Renaming an artist you already release under is an edit request, but releasing new music under a second, separate name uses a second artist slot, and DistroKid’s Musician plan only has one. Each DistroKid plan includes a set number of artist slots: Musician covers one artist or band, Musician Plus covers two, and Ultimate covers more. A slot gets used the first time a release under a new name goes out, and after that it’s locked to your account permanently. TheDebutRoom picks a DistroKid plan by how many artist names you’ll release under, because that’s the limit that forces an upgrade.

The plan list is on DistroKid’s pricing page, where Musician Plus costs $44.99/yr as of Sep 24, 2026. The slot rules are on DistroKid’s page about using artist slots, which also says a used slot can’t be changed or removed, but you can still submit a name change for an artist with music that’s live.

Match it to what you’re actually doing:

• You’re rebranding and the old name is done. Edit request. You stay on the same slot, so the Musician plan is fine.
• You want a side project or producer alias next to your main name. That’s a second artist, so a second slot. On Musician, that means upgrading.
• You’re in a duo and also release solo. A collaboration counts as its own artist in DistroKid’s slot rules, so count it before you upload.
• You haven’t released anything yet. Pick the name before your first upload. A slot you use on a name you drop stays on your account.

Our DistroKid pricing breakdown compares Musician, Musician Plus and Ultimate in full, and the distribution hub has the rest of our DistroKid guides.

Change your artist name on DistroKid, step by step

Changing your artist name on DistroKid takes five steps: check the new name isn’t taken in the stores, open a live release and click Edit Release, change the name and tick the update-all box, click Submit Edit Request and edit any collaborations separately, then check each store and fix the profile. You need at least one release that’s live in stores and the exact spelling of your new name. The request takes a few minutes. The stores take a couple of weeks, and sometimes several months, to catch up.