What to do when a Spotify for Artists account holder dies
Contact Spotify AB to request a transfer of accounts after an account holder dies
OverviewWhen someone dies
Spotify for Artists Support
WebsiteVisit website→
HoursNo published phone line. Contact via the Spotify for Artists support site; sign in with an artist team account to open a support case.
Spotify for Artists Support
Timeline
Spotify publishes no bereavement processing timeline for artist profiles. Music remains on Spotify indefinitely as long as the distribution agreement is maintained. Streaming royalties accrue continuously and are paid on the distributor's schedule (monthly for most distributors, with some offering faster payouts). Copyright protection under 17 U.S.C. 302(a) extends life-of-the-author plus 70 years for individual works, so the estate can receive streaming royalties for decades after death provided the catalog stays live.
WebsiteFile estate claim→
HoursNo published phone line. Contact via the Spotify for Artists support site; sign in with an artist team account to open a support case.
(General customer service)
Verified Apr 2026
Spotify publishes no formal bereavement or deceased-artist policy. The Spotify for Creators Terms state: "You may not assign these Terms, in whole or in part, nor transfer or sub-license your rights under these Terms, to any third party," so the Spotify for Artists login is itself non-transferable. In practice, rights holders (heirs, estates, labels) manage a deceased artist's profile by being added to the artist team before death, by having the distributor or label retain access, or by contacting Spotify support with documentation. Spotify may request a death certificate and proof of authority on a case-by-case basis. A deceased artist's catalog remains on Spotify as long as the distributor keeps the releases live.
How to request a transfer
To request a transfer of Spotify for Artists accounts after an account holder's death, follow these steps:
1
Understand the split: Spotify for Artists controls the profile (bio, images, Canvas, Clips, playlist pitching, analytics); the distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Amuse, etc.) or label controls the music delivery and royalty payments. Estate planning must address both separately.
2
Contact the distributor FIRST. The distributor is where the royalty money flows. Confirm the estate has access to the distributor account to redirect payouts and maintain the catalog on streaming platforms. For DistroKid users, check whether Leave a Legacy is active on the releases.
3
Preserve Spotify for Artists profile access:
- •If team members already have access (Admin, Editor, or Reader role), they keep access after the primary user's death. No Spotify intervention needed.
- •If no team access exists: contact Spotify via support.spotify.com/us/artists/ and request profile access as a rights holder. Expect to provide a death certificate, letters testamentary or equivalent estate authority, and proof the estate is the rights holder (distributor contract, copyright assignment, or label documentation).
4
For artists with a label deal: the label typically manages the catalog and has its own Spotify for Artists access. Contact the label directly to notify them of the death and confirm royalty-statement recipients.
5
Keep the distribution agreement active. Music remains on Spotify only as long as the distributor delivers and maintains the releases. If the distributor subscription lapses (e.g., a DistroKid account without Leave a Legacy), the distributor may take the catalog down. This is a distributor decision, not a Spotify decision.
6
Monitor the artist profile for unauthorized uploads. Spotify strengthened AI protections in September 2025 (newsroom.spotify.com/2025-09-25), including a rule that vocal impersonation is only allowed when the impersonated artist has authorized the use, plus an expanded content-mismatch process for music incorrectly delivered to another artist's profile. Use the content-mismatch flow inside Spotify for Artists to flag unauthorized content.
7
If the artist had Admin-level team members, confirm payment method settings in Spotify for Artists are still accurate — Spotify's own monetization services (e.g., Discovery Mode, audiobook creator revenue, Spotify for Podcasters monetization where applicable) use payment methods set in the dashboard, separate from distributor royalties.
8
Document expected streaming revenue for the estate. Streaming royalties continue for the duration of the copyright term — under US law, life of the author plus 70 years for works created by individual authors (17 U.S.C. 302(a)).
Required Documents
- Death certificate
- Letters testamentary, letters of administration, or equivalent evidence of authority to manage the artist's affairs
- Proof the estate holds rights to the artist's catalog (distributor agreement, copyright documentation, or label contract)
- Distributor account credentials or estate documentation for distributor access (separate from Spotify)
- For label-distributed artists: label contact information and contract showing the rights-holding entity
Timeline
Spotify publishes no bereavement processing timeline for artist profiles. Music remains on Spotify indefinitely as long as the distribution agreement is maintained. Streaming royalties accrue continuously and are paid on the distributor's schedule (monthly for most distributors, with some offering faster payouts). Copyright protection under 17 U.S.C. 302(a) extends life-of-the-author plus 70 years for individual works, so the estate can receive streaming royalties for decades after death provided the catalog stays live.
Frequently asked questions
Generally yes. Music remains on Spotify as long as the distribution agreement is maintained by the rights holder (label, estate, or distributor). If the distributor subscription lapses — for example, a DistroKid account without Leave a Legacy — the distributor may remove the catalog. Spotify itself does not remove music because an artist dies.
Spotify does not pay artists directly. Royalties flow through the artist's distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Amuse, etc.) or label. The estate must have access to the distributor account to collect royalties. Under 17 U.S.C. 302(a), copyright protection for individual works lasts life of the author plus 70 years, so streaming revenue can continue for the estate for decades as long as the catalog stays live.
Yes, but it is case-by-case. Rights holders can contact Spotify via support.spotify.com/us/artists/ and submit a death certificate, letters testamentary or equivalent estate authority, and proof the estate holds rights to the catalog. Spotify has no published deceased-artist policy, so response varies. Having existing team access on the Spotify for Artists account avoids this process entirely.
There are three roles: Admin (all actions including adding and editing payment methods), Editor (edit profile, pitch, add Clips and Canvas, manage campaigns and Shopify merch, but no payment changes), and Reader (view stats and profile only). An optional Team Admin can invite and remove team members. Teams are managed at manage.spotify.com/teams. Adding a trusted person as Admin before death is the cleanest estate-planning step.
There have been documented cases of unauthorized content appearing on artist profiles via content-mismatch in the distribution pipeline. In September 2025 Spotify strengthened AI protections (newsroom.spotify.com/2025-09-25), including a policy that vocal impersonation is only allowed when the impersonated artist has authorized the use, and expanded the content-mismatch process for reporting music delivered to the wrong artist profile. The estate should monitor the profile through Spotify for Artists and use content-mismatch to flag unauthorized releases.
Under 17 U.S.C. 302(a), US copyright for individual works lasts life of the author plus 70 years. Streaming royalties continue to accrue throughout that period as long as the catalog remains on the platform and the distribution agreement is active. The estate collects the royalties through the distributor.
No. The Spotify for Creators Terms state users "may not assign these Terms, in whole or in part, nor transfer or sub-license your rights under these Terms, to any third party." The account itself is non-transferable. Estates gain control of the profile by being added to the artist team before death or by submitting rights-holder documentation to Spotify support, not by transferring account ownership.
Once transferred, accounts are subject to the program's standard terms. Having the deceased account holder's details documented in advance makes the transfer process significantly easier for the family.
Spotify for Artists Support
WebsiteVisit website→
HoursNo published phone line. Contact via the Spotify for Artists support site; sign in with an artist team account to open a support case.
Spotify for Artists Support
Timeline
Spotify publishes no bereavement processing timeline for artist profiles. Music remains on Spotify indefinitely as long as the distribution agreement is maintained. Streaming royalties accrue continuously and are paid on the distributor's schedule (monthly for most distributors, with some offering faster payouts). Copyright protection under 17 U.S.C. 302(a) extends life-of-the-author plus 70 years for individual works, so the estate can receive streaming royalties for decades after death provided the catalog stays live.
WebsiteFile estate claim→
HoursNo published phone line. Contact via the Spotify for Artists support site; sign in with an artist team account to open a support case.
(General customer service)
Verified Apr 2026
