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What it costs over five years
The first-year price is not the price. Put in your own numbers and see what each charging model actually takes from a catalogue over five years.
THE HONEST COMPARISON
Music distributor comparison 2026
Every distributor sounds the same until you read the fine print. This page lines up what each one actually charges, what it takes from your royalties, and what happens to your music the day you stop paying.
| DISTRIBUTOR | COST TO RELEASE | CUT OF ROYALTIES | IF YOU STOP PAYING | HUMAN REVIEW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mazufa | Free — no fee to release | 0% commission | No subscription to lapse | Yes — every application |
| DistroKid | $24.99–$89.99 per year (Musician, Musician Plus, Ultimate) | 0% | Music is removed from stores, unless Leave a Legacy was bought for that release | No — self-serve |
| TuneCore | $24.99 per year per single, or $44.99 for the first year per album; unlimited plans $24.99–$54.99 per year | 0% on audio streaming and downloads; 20% on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube earnings | On pay-per-release plans, a release is taken down 42 days after a missed renewal | No — self-serve |
| CD Baby | $9.99 per single or $14.99 per album, one-time | 9%, ongoing | Release stays up; the 9% continues | No — self-serve |
| UnitedMasters | $19.99 per year (DEBUT+) or $59.99 per year (SELECT); PARTNER by invitation | 0% stated on the paid tiers; not published for the free DEBUT tier | A free DEBUT tier exists, but its commission is not published | No — self-serve |
| Amuse | $23.99–$59.99 per year (Artist, Artist Plus, Professional) | 0% for the account holder; on the entry Artist plan, payouts to collaborators without a subscription carry 15% | Subscription features lapse; releases stay live | No — self-serve |
| Ditto Music | £19–£109 per year (Starter, Pro, Labels) | 0% on streaming; 15% on publishing and sync on the Pro and Labels plans | No takedown-on-non-renewal policy is published; the pricing page states cancel anytime | No — self-serve |
| RouteNote | Free tier, or Premium from $10 per release plus $9.99 per year after the first year | 15% on the free tier; 0% on Premium | Stays on the free tier | No — self-serve |
| ONErpm | Free to distribute | 15% on stores; 30% on YouTube; 50% on other video | Commission continues | Self-serve signup; higher-touch services by arrangement |
Figures are each company's own publicly published pricing, checked on 6 September 2026. Prices, tiers and commissions change at any time — check the original source before deciding.
What is not a difference
Distributors like to advertise things every one of them already does. Knowing which is which saves you from paying for a promise you already have.
"You keep 100% of your rights"
Standard. DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, Amuse, Ditto and Mazufa all state that the artist keeps ownership of their masters. It is a baseline, not an advantage.
"Delivered everywhere"
Most major distributors reach the same core stores, though the number of services covered varies by distributor and by plan. What differs is regional coverage — Anghami, Boomplay, JioSaavn, Melon, QQ Music — and how quickly a new service is added.
"Unlimited uploads"
Unlimited only while the subscription is active. On DistroKid, music is removed from stores if you stop paying, unless Leave a Legacy was bought for that release; on TuneCore pay-per-release plans a title is taken down 42 days after a missed renewal. CD Baby and Amuse leave releases live.
What actually differs
What renewal means
On a subscription model your catalogue stays available only while the payment method keeps working. Miss a renewal and releases can be pulled — losing playlist positions and the stream history behind them.
A percentage forever
A one-time fee with an ongoing 9–15% cut is cheap on day one and expensive on year five. Compare over the life of a catalogue, not the first upload.
Review versus upload
Self-serve services accept anything that passes an automated check. A reviewed roster is smaller, and every release on it has been read by a person before it goes out.
Regional reach
If your audience is in the Gulf, North Africa, India or Southeast Asia, coverage of Anghami, Boomplay, JioSaavn and JOOX matters more than another Western store.
How to compare for yourself
- Work out the five-year cost, not the first-year price — a yearly fee times five, or a percentage across everything you will ever earn.
- Ask what happens to live releases if you stop paying, and get the answer in writing.
- Check which regional services are included, not just the count of "150+ platforms".
- Read the exit clause before the pricing page: how you leave, what you keep, how long it takes.
- Confirm who owns the recording, the metadata and the ISRC after the agreement ends.
Compared everything and want a human to look at your music?
Applications are open to every artist, in any language, from any country. A person reads each one.
Apply to Mazufa