Re-release Old Music: Remasters and Reissues

Older music comes back to the stores for many reasons. A label deal ends and the rights return to you. A distributor you used years ago stops operating. You find the original session and can make a better master, or you decide that a song which never reached the stores should finally be there. Whatever the reason, one question settles almost everything else: is this the same recording as before, or a different one?

This guide sorts re-releases into three cases and explains what each means for the ISRC, the UPC, the dates and the version name. It then covers the checks that older music needs and new music does not: old sample and beat licences, ended deals and earlier Content ID registrations. It builds on the explainer on ISRC and UPC codes and on the guide to switching distributors without losing streams. It promises nothing about streams, playlist positions or renewed demand, because nobody can.

Three kinds of re-release

Case	What it is	ISRC	UPC and product	Version and dates
1. Unchanged audio	The same masters and track list, returning after a takedown, a distributor change or the end of a label deal.	Keep every ISRC.	Keep the original UPC if the product is unchanged.	Tick “distributed before” and enter the real original release date.
2. Remaster or new mix	The same performance, treated or mixed again.	Ask support before you reuse the old code. The sources give no single answer.	Normally a release of its own, so ask what to enter.	Say “Remastered” and the year in the version. Never invent an original date.
3. Remix, edit, re-recording, live or acoustic version	A materially different recording.	A new ISRC.	A new UPC.	Its own release date and a version that says what it is.

Treat the table as a working rule and not as a ruling. The edges between the cases are where the questions are, and the next three sections take the cases in turn. When the answer is not obvious, ask support before you upload anything. The Release Wizard will not let you change the UPC of a release that went out or the ISRCs of its tracks, and it will not let you swap the audio of a distributed release, so a wrong first guess is hard to undo.

Case 1: the audio has not changed

This is the simplest case and it covers more situations than people expect: a release you took down and now want back, a catalogue arriving from a previous distributor, or recordings whose label contract has ended. The aim is that the stores see the same product again. The sources point the same way. IFPI, which maintains the ISRC standard, says the code of a recording should stay the same across different releases and formats. Spotify’s onboarding guideline says replacement content should match the original in audio, duration, title, version, artists and ISRC, should be delivered at least five business days before its earliest live date, and that linking is never guaranteed.

In the wizard, tick “This release has been distributed before?”. The form then asks for the Original Release Date and the original UPC, and you enter the ISRC of every track in its details. Keep all of them exactly as they were. The date must be a real one, not in the future and not after the new release date. Leave titles, versions, artist names, credits and the explicit flag as they were, and add your existing artist profile links so the release lands on the right page.

If you cannot find an original code, ask your previous distributor and check the stores, then tell WBBT support what you could not find. Do not invent a code, and do not leave the fields blank: blank fields generate new codes, and new codes make a new recording. The switching guide has the step-by-step version, including when to ask the old distributor for a takedown.

Case 2: a remaster or a new mix

A remaster is the same performance treated again: new equalisation, dynamics, level or noise reduction, often from the original session or tape. The published sources do not give one answer on whether it needs a new ISRC, which is why this is the case to ask about.

• IFPI says a new or materially changed recording must be given a new ISRC, and it lists changes to the musical content, different mixes or edits, differences in playing time and creative restoration. For remastering it says only that circumstances may decide whether a new code is needed, and it points readers to the ISRC Handbook for the detail.
• PPL, which licenses recorded music in the UK, asks a related question: does a remaster count as a separate recording with its own copyright? Its pages on remasters do not mention the code itself. Its guidance note says that, in its view, a remaster can attract a new sound recording copyright only if it is audibly different from the original. A merely cleaned remaster, where the only change is removing pops, clicks, hiss or hum, is very unlikely to qualify, while treating the sound, for example by altering its tone or volume, is likely to. PPL registers a remaster as a separate recording only where it has its own copyright. The note is general guidance on the UK position and not legal advice.
• Apple asks that a remaster carry the year of the remastering in its version, as in “2017 Remastered Version”, and that the original version’s release date is delivered with it.

For a WBBT release, follow the rule in the FAQ: keep the ISRC for the same recording, ask support whether a revised version needs a new identifier, ask before you replace audio, and never reuse an identifier for a materially different performance merely to keep play counts. That last rule matters most for remasters, because the temptation is to keep the old code in order to keep the old numbers.

Write to [email protected] before you upload, and include the title and version, the UPC and ISRC of the original, what was done to the audio (for example “re-equalised and limited from the original stereo mix, no noise reduction”, or “remixed from stems”), and whether you made the original recording yourself. Short before and after files help. You will get a better answer with those details than with the bare question. Support tells you what WBBT needs, and the stores decide what they accept.

One check you can make yourself first: compare the old and the new file at the same loudness, because a louder file tends to sound better. If you cannot point to a difference you can hear, you may have a technical copy and not a new recording. If you can, and you made the change on purpose, treat it as a different recording and say so.

Case 3: a remix, an edit or a new performance

A remix, an edit that changes the length, an acoustic version, a live recording and a re-recording are different recordings. IFPI’s test is new or materially changed content: different mixes or edits, differences in playing time, a new mix made from stems. Each takes its own ISRC and, as a new product, its own UPC. In the wizard that means a new release with the ISRC and UPC fields left empty so that WBBT assigns the codes, the remixer credited with the Remixer role, and the remix named in the version field.

The version name carries the difference. Put “Acoustic”, “Radio Edit” or “Extended Mix” in the version field and keep the title to the name of the song. Apple’s Music Style Guide asks for rerecorded tracks to be labelled as rerecorded and for live tracks to say they are live. If the new version rests on someone else’s song, melody or sample, the rights questions come first: WBBT’s FAQ asks you to obtain permission for the relevant recording and composition rights before delivery and to keep written licences. The guides to cover songs and to releasing a song made on a leased beat explain what to check.

Dates and version names

Two dates are in play and they mean different things. The Release Date is the day this product goes live. It must respect your plan’s lead time, which on the Free plan is at least 14 days from the day you submit, and the wizard shows the earliest date your account allows. The Original Release Date appears only when you tick “This release has been distributed before?” and is the day the release first came out. Do not use it to make an old release look new, and do not fill it with today’s date.

What a store shows is the store’s decision, and every store has its own rules. Apple’s Music Style Guide, for example, assigns the date by release type:

Release type	The date Apple’s guide asks for
Remastered	The release date of the original version.
Re-released, such as an anniversary edition	The album-level date stays the original date. Tracks that were not on the original album keep their own dates.
Deluxe or extended	The date on which the extended version came out.
Remix	The release date of the remix.
Re-recorded	The release date of the re-recorded version.

Version names follow the same logic. Keep the title to the song’s name and put the difference in the version field. Apple asks for the year of a remaster in the version, so “2026 Remastered Version” follows its example. Two tracks on one release that share a title need different versions, and the wizard refuses them otherwise (“Give it a different title or version”), which matters if an expanded edition holds both the original and the remaster. The metadata and artwork checklist has the rest of the rules for titles, versions and credits.

What older music needs checking first

New music is cleared as it is made. Older music carries paperwork from the day it was made, and the wizard asks you to stand behind that paperwork again.

• Who owns the master now? In the final review you confirm that the release is not under an active exclusive contract with another record label and that you hold the rights needed for distribution. If a deal has ended, keep the proof where you can find it: the termination letter, the reversion clause or the email that confirms it. PPL’s remaster note adds a warning of its own, that remastering and issuing a recording can infringe the original if the original rightsholders have not given permission.
• Do the old sample and beat licences still cover a new release? A licence given for the original release may be limited by term, territory, format or the number of releases, so read the actual terms. A track that contains samples is marked “Contains Samples (License Required)” in the wizard, and the clearance papers go in the Legal Documents section. If a licence has expired, the FAQ is plain: do not keep distributing beyond the rights you hold.
• Is a cover still licensed? Check that the composition licence that supported the first release also covers the new one. The rights checklist shows the questions to ask.
• Are the credits and splits still right? People change names, collaborators are added and shares are renegotiated. The credits must match what you can prove today. The “Import from Song” button brings producers, writers, contributors and genre from a song already in your catalogue, and it never imports the title, the ISRC, the version or the audio. Check each credit after it arrives.
• Is the recording registered anywhere else? An earlier distributor or library may still hold a YouTube Content ID reference for it. YouTube explains that when two reference files claim the same audio, an overlap arises that the reference provider must resolve, either by excluding the overlapping segment or by asserting exclusive ownership. WBBT’s FAQ asks you to tell support about any existing Content ID provider and to arrange the transfer or release of the reference before a new submission. The guides to YouTube Content ID and PPL and neighbouring rights show where registrations overlap.

This guide is general information and not legal advice. If a contract, a licence or the status of a remaster is unclear, ask the rightsholder or a music lawyer before you release.

Three worked examples

The songs and details below are invented, to show the pattern.

Song	What happened	What to do
“Salt Road”, a 2018 single	The label deal ended and the masters came back unchanged.	Case 1. Tick “distributed before”, enter the original UPC, the 2018 release date and each ISRC. Keep the title, version and credits as they were.
“Glasshouse”, a 2019 album track	Remastered in 2026 from the original session files.	Case 2. Write to support with the original ISRC, a description of the processing and both files, and ask whether it needs its own ISRC. Name the version once you have the answer.
“Night Bus”, an acoustic re-recording	Newly performed, with a new arrangement.	Case 3. A new release with new codes. Leave the ISRC and UPC fields empty, put “Acoustic” in the version and credit the new performers.

A practical checklist for a re-release

1. Find the best source. Use the final lossless files from the original project, not a file downloaded from a store and not an MP3. WBBT’s guidance is WAV at 16-bit or 24-bit and 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz.
2. Collect the facts. The original UPC, every ISRC, the release date, the cover, the credits and the store links. Check each of them against the stores themselves, not only against an old spreadsheet.
3. Choose the case. Use the table above and write down in one sentence why the release belongs to it.
4. Ask support first for a remaster, a new mix or any doubt, before you upload.
5. Gather the paperwork. The proof that a deal ended, the sample and beat licences, the cover licence and the current splits.
6. Enter the release. Choose the type, upload the files, and enter ISRCs and versions in the track details. For Case 1 tick “distributed before” and enter the original date and UPC. Choose stores, territories and a date inside your lead time, then read the Review screen, tick the five confirmations and press Distribute.
7. Check it in every store. Look at the artist profile, the version names, the track list and the availability. Save dated screenshots. If a store shows a duplicate or the wrong profile, send support the store links, the correct profile link, the UPC and the ISRCs, and do not upload the music again.
8. Remove the old delivery last. If the music is still live with another distributor, ask for its takedown only after the new delivery has been checked, as the switching guide explains.

Frequently asked questions

Can I re-release a song that is still live?

Only as a different product with something genuinely new in it: a remaster, a remix or a new performance. Uploading unchanged music that is already in the stores creates a duplicate. If you only need to fix a title, a credit or a cover, ask for a correction to the live release and say exactly which fields should change.

Will a re-release bring back the old streams?

Nobody can promise that. Spotify’s onboarding guideline asks for identical audio, duration, title, version, artists and ISRC before a new delivery can link to an old one, and says linking is never guaranteed. A remaster has different audio, so it does not meet that condition. What you can control is the evidence, and the stores decide the rest.

Does a remaster need a new ISRC?

It depends, and the published sources give no single answer. IFPI says the circumstances decide, and WBBT asks you to check with support before you reuse a code for a revised version. Send the original ISRC and UPC, a plain description of the processing and, if you can, before and after files. Do not reuse an identifier for a materially different performance just to keep play counts together. ISRC and UPC codes explained has the general rules.

Which release date do I enter for a remaster?

The Release Date is the day your new release goes live and it must respect your plan’s lead time. The Original Release Date field exists only for a release that has already come out. Apple’s Music Style Guide gives a remaster the release date of the original version, so ask support how your remaster should be entered instead of guessing, and never invent an original date.

Can I change the artwork when I re-release?

A new product, such as a remaster, can have its own cover, which must still follow the usual rules: square, 3000 by 3000 pixels, with no store logos, web addresses or prices. For an unchanged release that is already live, send a correction request instead. The metadata and artwork checklist lists the rules.

What if I only have a lossy copy of the old master?

A lossy file is not a master. WBBT’s guidance is to use the best available source and not to upconvert a compressed file. Look for the original session, a lossless bounce, or the files your previous distributor holds, and tell support what you have before you upload.

Sources and next steps

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Standards and store rules change, so check the current wording before you rely on a point.

• When to assign an ISRC and When not to assign an ISRC, IFPI (accessed 25 October 2026).
• Original release dates and the full Music Style Guide on version names, Apple (accessed 25 October 2026).
• PPL guidance note on remasters and Should I register remastered recordings with PPL?, PPL (accessed 25 October 2026).
• Spotify Onboarding Guideline, version 2.14, on track linking (accessed 25 October 2026).
• Fix reference overlaps, YouTube Help (accessed 25 October 2026).

To go further, read the pillar guide on switching distributors without losing streams and the companion article on the waterfall release, which uses the same identifiers for singles that join an EP. Compare the plans on the pricing page, read the WBBT FAQ, see the music distribution page, and submit your music when your files and records are ready.