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Music services do not share one catalogue, so FreeYourMusic searches the new service for every song you move and picks the closest result. It tries the exact recording code (ISRC) first, then the title, artist and album.
Step 1: the ISRC code
Most commercial recordings carry an ISRC, an international code for one specific recording. When the song has an ISRC and the destination lets apps search by ISRC, FreeYourMusic looks the code up first. An exact hit is a 100% match.
ISRC search is available when you move to Amazon Music, Apple Music, Boomplay and Spotify. For other destinations, matching starts at step 2.
Step 2: title, artist and album
Without an ISRC hit, FreeYourMusic searches for the song title, the artist and the album together. If the album name is the same as the song title (common for singles), it leaves the album out of the search.
If that finds nothing good enough, it searches again with fewer details: first the title and artist, then the title alone. It keeps the best result of all the searches.
How the match score works
Each result gets a score that shows how closely its title, artist and album agree with your original song. The artist counts the most, then the title, then the album. FreeYourMusic compares the main artist and the first album only, because some services list every contributor and others list only the main artist.
- A result is good enough to stop searching at 80% or more.
- The best result found is used when it scores 10% or more.
- Below 10%, the song is treated as not found and shows as "Not matched".
- Song length is not part of the score.
In the transfer details, each added song shows its score, such as "92% confidence". A song you picked yourself with Rematch always shows 100%.
What is a low-confidence match?
A low-confidence match is a song that was added, but whose score is low. It may be the right song with a slightly different title (a remaster, a live tag, a featured artist), or it may be a different version.
To check them, open the transfer and choose the "Low Confidence Match" song filter. The filter description shows the score it uses. Tap any song to fix the match with Rematch.
Why does a song not match?
- It is not in the new catalogue. Every service licenses different music. Some songs exist on one service only.
- It is not available in your country. A song can exist on the new service but be blocked in your region.
- The details differ too much. Very different titles or artist names lower the score below the floor.
- The service did not answer. A temporary error at the music service can stop a song from being found or added. These songs show as "Adding failed" and you can retry them.
You can see every song that did not make it with the "Missing" filter, and export them to an Excel file.
Moving from or to YouTube
YouTube is a video service, so video titles often mix the artist and the song name ("Artist - Song (Official Video)"), and YouTube has no ISRC search. FreeYourMusic uses a simpler comparison for YouTube, so check the matches after a YouTube transfer. YouTube Music, which has proper song data, works like other music services.
Frequently asked questions
Why did I get the wrong version of a song?
When the ISRC is not available, FreeYourMusic matches by title, artist and album, and a remaster, live or explicit version can score high. Open the song in the transfer and use Rematch to pick the right version.
Does FreeYourMusic use ISRC codes?
Yes, when the destination lets apps search by ISRC: Amazon Music, Apple Music, Boomplay and Spotify. An exact ISRC hit is a 100% match.
Can I make FreeYourMusic match more strictly?
There is no strictness setting. Use the "Low Confidence Match" filter after a transfer and fix the songs you do not like with Rematch.
Why are some songs missing after my transfer?
Usually the song is not in the new service catalogue, or not in your country. Use the "Missing" filter to see them and export the list to an Excel file.
A song keeps matching wrong? Contact support with the song title and both services.