DistroKid vs TuneCore vs CD Baby

For most independent artists, the choice comes down to one question: do you prefer an annual subscription, a flexible annual or pay-per-release model, or a one-time release fee with a continuing commission? DistroKid is built around annual membership and passes through the store earnings allocated to you for ordinary distribution. TuneCore offers annual unlimited plans as well as pay-per-release distribution, with applicable annual renewals. CD Baby charges once per release, does not charge a recurring artist-account subscription fee, and keeps a percentage of download and streaming revenue.

There is no universally best distributor. The right fit depends on how often you release, how long you want a catalog to remain available, whether you want optional royalty-collection services, and how much you value predictable upfront costs. The prices and policies below are current U.S.-dollar figures where the cited official pages specify them, checked August 7, 2026. Prices, features, taxes, payment rules, and availability can change.

The short answer

Choose DistroKid if you release frequently and prefer a subscription model with 100% of the store earnings allocated to you for core distribution. Remember that memberships renew annually, and releases may be removed after a lapse unless you use the per-release Leave a Legacy option. DistroKid’s Social Media Pack is different from ordinary store distribution: the company says it retains 20% of monetization revenue from that optional service. See How Much of My Earnings Does DistroKid Keep?.

Choose TuneCore if you want a choice between unlimited annual distribution and paying per release. Its U.S. pricing page lists annual unlimited plans at $24.99, $44.99, and $54.99, while pay-per-release pricing is $24.99 for a single and $44.99 for an album in the first year; the album pay-per-release option renews at $56.49. Applicable models automatically renew annually. Details are listed in How much does TuneCore cost?.

Choose CD Baby if you prefer a one-time charge for each release and do not want a recurring artist-account subscription fee. CD Baby lists $9.99 for a single and $14.99 for an album, then retains 9% of download and streaming revenue. Specialized services have different commissions, so the standard 9% figure should not be applied to every type of royalty. The current fee information appears in How much does CD Baby cost?.

First, understand what distribution pays

A distributor delivers your sound recording to digital stores and platforms and accounts for the revenue those services report. That is not the same as collecting every royalty connected to a song.

A sound recording is the specific recorded performance: the master. A composition is the underlying song, including its music and lyrics. Streaming or selling the master through ordinary distribution does not automatically mean that someone has registered the composition for publishing royalties, collected every mechanical royalty, claimed every digital performance royalty, or submitted the work for sync licensing.

TuneCore makes this distinction explicit. It describes ordinary distribution as paying 100% of net receipts for the sound recording to the account owner, while publishing administration concerns separate composition royalties. Its explanation is useful because “100%” means 100% of net distribution receipts, not automatic collection of all composition, performance, mechanical, SoundExchange, social-video, or sync royalties. Read What is the difference between Music Distribution and Publishing Administration?.

DistroKid similarly says it passes through 100% of the store earnings allocated to the artist for core distribution. That statement does not mean the artist receives 100% of gross platform economics: banking fees, taxes, and other payment or withholding qualifications may still apply. Its optional Social Media Pack retains 20% of monetization revenue. These are separate treatments, so do not compare DistroKid’s core store percentage with a social-video service as though they were the same product. The distinction is described in How Much of My Earnings Does DistroKid Keep?.

CD Baby’s ordinary download and streaming commission is 9%, but it lists separate rates for other services. It lists 15% for revenue collected through The MLC, 30% for social-video monetization, and 40% for sync placements. Those deductions apply to the specified specialized services, not to the ordinary 9% download-and-streaming rate. The rates are set out in How much does CD Baby cost?.

The practical lesson is simple: compare the exact service you need. “No commission” or “100%” usually describes a particular revenue stream under particular terms. It does not prove that all related rights have been registered or all possible royalties will be collected.

Cost structure: subscription, annual choice, or one-time release fee

DistroKid: annual membership

DistroKid uses an annual subscription structure. Memberships renew annually. If you do not renew, DistroKid says releases may be removed from stores after the subscription lapses. Its Leave a Legacy option applies per release and can preserve availability after a lapse, but it does not replace the active annual membership fee while the membership is running. The relevant policy is in Subscriptions.

This structure can make sense for an artist or team releasing often. A single annual payment can support a larger release schedule than paying a separate fee for every single or album. The tradeoff is continuity management: you must budget for renewal or decide which releases, if any, should receive Leave a Legacy treatment. If a catalog must remain live indefinitely, renewal policy deserves as much attention as the headline distribution percentage.

TuneCore: annual unlimited or pay per release

TuneCore gives artists two broad routes. Its U.S. help page lists annual unlimited plans at $24.99, $44.99, and $54.99. It also lists pay-per-release pricing of $24.99 for a single and $44.99 for an album in the first year, with the album renewing at $56.49. Both models automatically renew annually where applicable. Prices and plan availability can vary by country, currency, taxes, artist profile, and later pricing changes, so treat these as the cited U.S. figures rather than a global promise.

The unlimited option may be easier to evaluate if you expect multiple releases in a year. Pay-per-release can be easier to understand for a small number of releases, but the renewal terms matter: an initial fee is not necessarily the entire long-term cost. Before choosing, count planned singles, albums, alternate versions, and future catalog additions, then compare the resulting first-year and continuing obligations.

TuneCore’s pricing page also describes features such as distribution to digital stores, store and social-platform coverage, release scheduling, and revenue splits, with plan-dependent features. It displays a 20% fee for social-platform revenue. That means the ordinary distribution explanation and the social-platform treatment should be read separately. Consult Our Pricing & Plans for the plan comparison.

CD Baby: one-time release fees plus commission

CD Baby lists a $9.99 one-time fee for a single and $14.99 for an album, with no recurring artist-account subscription fee. That can be attractive if you release infrequently or want a release to remain available without maintaining an annual distributor membership. The continuing tradeoff is the 9% commission on download and streaming revenue, plus separate commissions for specialized services.

This is not automatically cheaper or more expensive than a subscription. It depends on your release volume, revenue, and time horizon. A low-volume artist may value the absence of an annual account fee. A high-volume artist may prefer a subscription even if it requires renewal. A useful comparison is to separate three numbers: upfront fees, recurring fees, and the percentage retained from the revenue stream you actually expect to generate.

Release timing and planning

A distributor’s review time is only one part of the journey. Your upload must be inspected, delivered, ingested by partner stores, and sometimes reviewed or curated by the store itself. No official evidence here establishes a universal ranking in which one of these distributors is always faster.

DistroKid gives typical post-delivery estimates of 1–2 days for Spotify, 1–7 days for Apple Music, and 1–3 days for YouTube Music. It also warns that some releases can take up to two weeks to appear everywhere. These are estimates after delivery, not guarantees from upload to public availability. See How to Release Music on DistroKid: Step-by-Step for New Members.

TuneCore says content review generally takes about two business days, recommends distributing at least three weeks before a required date, and provides store-specific approximate live times rather than guarantees. Partner processing remains outside TuneCore’s control. Its timing guidance is in How long does it take for my music to go live in stores?.

CD Baby recommends at least three weeks, ideally four to six weeks, for a planned release. Its inspection estimate is 7–14 business days without FastForward or 1–2 business days with FastForward. Inspection is only one stage, so store ingestion can add further time. See When should I set my release date and how long does distribution take?.

For a coordinated campaign, upload early enough to leave room for inspection, corrections, partner delays, and a planned release date. A last-minute upload may work, but none of these estimates should be treated as a guaranteed launch schedule. If timing matters, use the distributor’s recommended lead time and confirm the release in each important store before announcing that it is live.

Continuity and payouts

Continuity is the difference between “I paid to distribute this release” and “this release remains available under the current account terms.” DistroKid’s annual-renewal model means that a lapsed subscription can affect store availability unless the applicable release has Leave a Legacy. TuneCore’s listed models include annual renewal terms, so check the renewal conditions that apply to the plan or release you select. CD Baby’s listed standard model has no recurring artist-account subscription fee, which removes that particular annual membership obligation, although release fees and commissions still apply.

Payout speed is also easy to misunderstand. CD Baby says payouts are processed weekly once partner revenue has been received and account conditions are satisfied. Tax information, a pay point, valid payment details, and minimum-balance or account requirements can affect when funds are available. Weekly processing is not the same as weekly royalty generation: stores and platforms still need to report revenue first. See How do I get paid from CD Baby?.

Do not choose a distributor solely because one advertises a faster payout cycle. Ask when the underlying store reports, what deductions apply, what account requirements must be completed, and whether taxes or withholding affect the amount received.

Optional rights services

CD Baby offers CDB Boost as an optional paid service. CD Baby says it can register original songs with The MLC for U.S. streaming mechanical royalties, register sound recordings with SoundExchange, and make tracks available for sync consideration. Registration or catalog availability does not guarantee that royalties will be generated, that money will be paid, or that a sync placement will occur. The page also frames the mechanical and sound-recording collection around U.S. uses. Review Music Distribution | Unlock Unclaimed Royalties with CDB Boost.

TuneCore’s publishing administration is likewise separate from ordinary sound-recording distribution. DistroKid’s Social Media Pack is an optional monetization service with its own 20% share. In every case, supplemental services should be evaluated by right, territory, enrollment requirement, fee, and reporting—not by the distributor’s name alone.

The territory point matters. Royalty collection qualifications are especially important for U.S. publishing and SoundExchange services. A service may help with a particular registration or collection route without replacing every society, administrator, direct registration, or agreement that could apply elsewhere. This article is educational information, not individualized legal, tax, financial, contract, or royalty advice.

A practical decision route

Use this route when choosing:

1. Estimate your release volume for the next year. If you expect frequent releases, compare annual unlimited plans or annual membership economics. If you expect one or two releases, compare one-time fees and renewal obligations.
2. Identify the revenue streams you actually need. Ordinary master distribution is different from composition publishing, mechanical royalties, SoundExchange, social-video monetization, and sync.
3. Decide how important catalog continuity is. Check what happens if an annual plan is not renewed, whether a per-release preservation option is available, and whether a one-time release model better matches your expectations.
4. Set a realistic release date. Build in inspection, partner delivery, store processing, and time to correct metadata or audio problems. Use at least three weeks as a planning baseline when the release date matters, and consider more time for CD Baby’s inspection window.
5. Compare the net result, not just the advertised price. Write down upfront fees, annual renewals, commissions by revenue type, optional-service fees, taxes, payment requirements, and any banking or withholding costs.

A worked example makes the tradeoff clearer. Suppose an artist plans one single and one album, expects modest streaming revenue, and wants the catalog to stay available without an annual account fee. CD Baby’s listed one-time fees would total $24.98 before applicable taxes or optional services, and its standard download and streaming commission would be 9%. TuneCore’s pay-per-release figures would be $69.98 in the first year before the album’s listed renewal, while its annual unlimited options begin at $24.99 and rise by plan. DistroKid would require an annual membership, with core store earnings passed through according to its policy, but the artist would need to manage renewal or per-release continuity. This example does not identify a universal winner: the result changes with release count, revenue, plan eligibility, and the services selected.

Bottom line

DistroKid emphasizes annual membership and pass-through of core store earnings, with a separate continuity decision if the membership lapses. TuneCore offers the broadest structural choice in this comparison: annual unlimited plans or pay-per-release distribution, with applicable renewals and plan-dependent features. CD Baby emphasizes one-time release fees, no recurring artist-account subscription fee, and a 9% standard commission on download and streaming revenue, with different rates for specialized services.

Choose the platform whose cost structure matches your release pattern and whose rights services match the specific royalties you need to pursue. Plan releases weeks ahead, read the current terms before paying, and keep the master-versus-composition distinction clear. Distribution gets a recording into stores; it does not, by itself, guarantee that every related royalty has been registered or collected.