The Core Difference: How They Make Money
These three distributors use fundamentally different pricing models, and understanding the structure matters more than comparing sticker prices.
DistroKid charges a flat annual subscription ($24.99/year for one artist name) for unlimited uploads. You keep 100% of royalties. The catch: many features that competitors include by default - YouTube Content ID, Shazam registration, auto-delivery to new stores - cost extra per release, per year.
TuneCore also uses annual subscriptions. Their Breakout plan ($29.99/year) includes unlimited releases with YouTube monetization and Content ID built in. Believe (TuneCore's parent company) acquired them in 2015, and the platform has steadily added features that DistroKid charges extra for.
CD Baby charges once per release ($9.99/single, $14.99/album) with no recurring fees, but takes 9% of all royalties forever. Your music stays live indefinitely without additional payments. They also offer CD Baby Pro ($29.99/single, $49.99/album) which includes publishing administration to collect mechanical and performance royalties.
Pricing Comparison
The "cheapest" distributor depends entirely on how often you release.
| Scenario | DistroKid Cost | TuneCore Cost | CD Baby Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 single/year | $24.99 + add-ons | $29.99 | $9.99 + 9% royalties |
| 4 singles/year | $24.99 + add-ons | $29.99 | $39.96 + 9% royalties |
| 12 singles/year | $24.99 + add-ons | $29.99 | $119.88 + 9% royalties |
| 1 album (10 tracks) | $24.99 + add-ons | $29.99 | $14.99 + 9% royalties |
At first glance, DistroKid appears cheapest for prolific artists. But add Content ID ($4.95/single/year), Shazam ($0.99/single), and "Leave a Legacy" to keep music up if you cancel ($29/single), and costs climb quickly. A serious artist releasing monthly with all features enabled might spend $150-300/year on DistroKid.
TuneCore's flat $29.99 includes Content ID and most monetization features. For active artists, this is often the better value despite the slightly higher sticker price.
CD Baby's 9% commission is the wild card. If you earn less than $500/year in streaming revenue, the commission barely matters. If you're earning $5,000/year, you're paying $450 in commissions - far more than either subscription service.
Rule: If you expect to earn more than $350/year in royalties, CD Baby's commission model becomes more expensive than annual subscriptions.
Feature Comparison
The Hidden Factor: What Happens When You Leave
This is where business models create real lock-in.
If you cancel DistroKid, your music is removed from all platforms unless you paid the "Leave a Legacy" fee ($29/single, $49/album) at the time of upload. Many artists discover this only when they try to leave.
If you cancel TuneCore, your music comes down. You'd need to re-upload through a new distributor, triggering the ISRC migration process.
If you stop paying CD Baby, nothing happens - you already paid the one-time fee. Your catalog stays live indefinitely. This is the safest option for back-catalog you don't want to actively manage.
The Verdict
There is no universally "best" distributor. The right choice depends on your release cadence, budget, and which trade-offs you can live with.
For most working artists releasing 4+ singles per year, TuneCore's Breakout plan offers the cleanest value: flat $29.99/year, unlimited releases, Content ID included, no add-on nickel-and-diming.
For artists releasing sporadically or building a back-catalog they want to set and forget, CD Baby remains compelling despite the 9% commission.
For speed-obsessed artists who understand and accept the add-on structure, DistroKid delivers the fastest turnaround in the industry.
Whichever you choose, remember that distribution is commoditized infrastructure. The music, the marketing, and the audience development matter far more than which pipe delivers your files to Spotify.