What happens to a DistroKid account when someone dies

“You may not rent, transfer, assign, resell or sublicense access to the Services to any third-party.”¹

The Distribution Agreement states that DistroKid takes no copyright or other interest in the music, only a limited license to distribute, so an heir can re-distribute the recordings through DistroKid or another distributor.²

The same agreement contemplates the artist's interest changing hands: any sale, assignment, transfer or other grant of rights in the recordings is subject to DistroKid's rights under the agreement.²

Releases cannot be moved between DistroKid accounts, so the catalog stays on the account it was uploaded to.³

The account keeps working while the subscription auto-renews. If the subscription lapses, releases may be removed from the services they were delivered to, unless the Leave a Legacy album extra was bought for that release.^{4, 5}

DistroKid gives notice before removing music for a failed charge, and describes releases removed for a lapsed payment as restored automatically once the card is updated and the past-due charge succeeds.⁴

DistroKid charges cannot be paid from the DistroKid Bank balance; they need a Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express card, or Google Pay or Apple Pay.⁶

Plans are billed annually: Musician $24.99 for 1 artist or band, Musician Plus $44.99 for 2, and Ultimate $89.99 for 1-100.⁷

After a lapse the account can still be signed into and earnings owed are still paid, and a deleted release still pays out earnings for the period it was live.^{4, 8}

The DistroKid Bank shows all-time total earnings by artist, song or service, a dated withdrawal history net of banking fees and tax, and a We Owe You figure that is the balance available to withdraw.⁹

Earnings move through Tipalti, DistroKid's payout processor, with a $6 USD minimum withdrawal, by ACH, eCheck, paper check, wire or PayPal.¹⁰

DistroKid processes payout requests twice a week, and a requested withdrawal can take up to 14 days from start to finish to reach the selected payout account.¹¹

Streaming services report earnings 1-2 months after the streaming period, with most appearing about 3 months after a release goes live; some report twice a year, and some pay only once a track meets a streaming threshold.¹¹

DistroKid emails a 1099 or 1042 from statements@tax1099.com for the prior fiscal year where a withdrawal was taken. After a change of tax identity, each payee gets separate forms for the withdrawals taken under its own validated tax identity.¹²

Withdrawal fees come out of the payout: $1.12 for U.S. ACH, $1.69 for U.S. eCheck, $3.37 for paper check, $16.85 for U.S. wire, and $1.12 plus 2% for PayPal, with an FX fee of up to 3% where the payment currency differs from the country selected.¹³

Outside the U.S. the fees are $5.62 for eCheck, local bank transfer or SEPA, $21.47 for an international wire in local currency and $29.21 in USD; the PayPal fee is capped at $2.25 for U.S. residents and $23.59 for others.¹³

DistroKid's minimum-payout article prints lower fees for the same methods, such as $1.07 ACH, $1.61 U.S. eCheck and $16.05 U.S. wire, so the fee shown at withdrawal governs.¹⁴

The DistroKid Vault stays reachable after a cancellation without re-subscribing, though access needs a valid credit card on file.¹⁵