Cancelling a distributor does not end your ownership: what changes instead

Ownership and distribution are different rights

• Ownership of the recording (master rights): the rights in the recording you made. Distributing a release does not transfer them, unless your contract expressly says so.
• Distribution rights: the licence you grant a distributor to deliver your releases to services and collect earnings for you, for as long as the agreement says.

When you cancel, what ends is the distribution licence, not your ownership. What changes is practical control over the live releases and the earnings still in the pipeline.

What can happen when you cancel

• Releases stay up for a while: takedowns are processed by each service separately and can take time.
• Earnings arrive later: amounts reported after cancellation are paid on the distributor's schedule and minimums, as its terms set out.
• Re-delivery can clash: if a new distributor delivers the same release while the old one is still live, services may reject it as a duplicate.
• Profiles may need a fix: artist profiles can need a manual update after a move.

Steps that protect you

• Keep your original files: high-quality WAV or FLAC copies of every song, stored where you control them.
• Check your balance: withdraw what you can and ask how the rest will be paid.
• Keep your ISRC codes: reuse them with the new distributor to keep the recording's history together.
• Plan the order: agree with the new distributor whether to overlap deliveries or wait for the takedown to complete.
• Get it in writing: ask the old distributor to confirm the cancellation steps and the payment schedule.

How this works at Mazufa

Mazufa charges no upload fee, no subscription and no per-release fee, so there is no renewal to keep up. The revenue share and payment terms are set out in your written agreement, which you can read before you sign, and you keep ownership of your recordings. See how pricing works.

Summary

Cancelling a distributor does not take away ownership of your songs. Plan the timing, keep your files, codes and statements, and you keep control of the move.