Many independent artists have recently reported that their albums are appearing on other streaming platforms but are not being published to YouTube Music.
This seemed especially common around the Fourth of July weekend.
Based on what I have observed over the past year, delays like this appear to happen more frequently around holidays and weekends. It can sometimes seem as though YouTube Music temporarily slows down or stops processing new album deliveries during these periods.
At this point, I cannot confirm exactly what causes the delay.
As far as I know, the issue does not appear to originate with DistroKid. The release may be delivered successfully to other platforms while remaining unavailable on YouTube Music, which suggests that the delay may be occurring on YouTube’s side. However, without access to the internal delivery systems, there is no way to say that with certainty.
Fortunately, there is a simple workaround that has been successful for me on multiple occasions.
HOW TO REQUEST A RESUBMISSION TO YOUTUBE MUSIC
Visit the DistroKid Support Center:
Open the DistroKid support chatbot.
Enter the following message:
“I need DistroKid UPC: [INSERT YOUR UPC HERE] resubmitted to YouTube Music.”
The chatbot may provide general troubleshooting information. When it asks whether the information resolved your issue, select “No.”
Confirm that the release has been missing for longer than one week.
Enter your full name and email address when requested.
Submit the UPC for the affected album or release.
Wait for confirmation that the request has been forwarded for processing and that the release is being resubmitted to YouTube Music.
If you need to submit multiple releases, separate each UPC with a comma and a space.
Example:
123456789012, 123456789013, 123456789014
IMPORTANT: USE THE UPC, NOT THE ISRC
The UPC identifies the complete album or release.
The ISRC identifies an individual track.
For this process, you should submit the UPC for the full release.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
After the resubmission request is processed, the release will often appear on YouTube Music within a few days.
Results may vary, but this method has worked for me nearly every time I have encountered this issue.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Distribution delays are frustrating, especially when a release is available everywhere except YouTube Music. While the exact cause is unclear, requesting a manual resubmission through DistroKid Support appears to be one of the most reliable ways to resolve the problem.
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