Quick answer
Sometimes. You can include the same recording in a new package — for example, a single that later appears on an album — as long as the artist name, track title, ISRC, and version information stay exactly the same. What you can't do is re-release the same audio under a different artist name or with changed metadata. Partners including Apple Music will hide or reject releases where that happens.
What's allowed
The most common case is moving a track between packages — for instance, a song you originally released as a standalone single that you now want to include on an album. That's absolutely fine.
For it to go smoothly, the following metadata must be identical across both releases:
- Primary and featured artist name(s)
- Track title(s)
- ISRC(s)
- Version information (e.g. "Live," "Acoustic," etc.)
This applies even if the original release has been cancelled. The metadata requirement doesn't go away just because the previous version is no longer live.
What's not allowed
Re-releasing under a different artist name
This is the one that catches a lot of artists out. If you're rebranding and want to put your existing music out under your new name, it won't work — and could actively cause problems. Partners like Apple Music identify audio by its content, not just its metadata. If the same recording appears under a new name, it'll be hidden or rejected, even if you've cancelled the original release.
When artists rebrand successfully, the new name always comes with new recordings. See How do I change my artist name? for guidance on how to handle a rebrand.
Re-releasing with changed metadata
If something needs to change — a track title correction, updated songwriter credits, a different ISRC — you can't simply re-submit the same audio with the fixes applied. The correct route is to cancel the original release and create a new submission. Bear in mind that partner restrictions on duplicate audio still apply if the recording itself hasn't changed.
What if I cancelled my original release?
Cancelling a release removes it from stores, but it doesn't wipe the slate clean in partner systems. The same rules apply to any re-release of those recordings: the metadata must match what was there before, and you still can't re-release under a different artist name.
If you need to cancel a release, see How do I cancel a release?
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