Why Does a Release Appear Live on Spotify After I Sent a Takedown?

When you send a takedown to Spotify, the release can often still appear to be live. The reason is that Spotify keeps a "shell" of the release up for track-linking purposes and to make sure playlists remain intact as catalogs move about. You'll only be able to access it with the exact URI or URL. If this is the case, you'll see that the tracks are grayed out and not playable. 

The track or release won't be searchable, nor will it appear on the Artist page—but you can only find them via a direct URI. This process makes sure that if the content is moved around, there's no disruption in the listener experience or your streams.


If you're ever unsure, reach out to support, and we'll look into it.