MusicJet data
Our music distribution cost report adds up what 13 distributors would charge three kinds of artist over three years, fees and cuts included. For an artist putting out six singles and an EP a year, the cheapest right now is Ditto Music’s Starter plan, at $57 over three years. Try your own release plans in the music distribution calculator.
Each table ranks every distributor by its cheapest plan that suits that artist, with the difference against DistroKid, the name most artists know (its plans are broken down in what DistroKid charges).
Just starting out: 2 singles a year, earning about $50 a year.
| Distributor | Cost over three years | Compared with DistroKid |
|---|---|---|
| RouteNote Free plan | $23 | $52 less |
| Soundrop Pay per track plan | $52 | $23 less |
| Ditto Music Starter plan | $57 | $18 less |
| Too Lost Artist plan | $60 | $15 less |
| UnitedMasters DEBUT+ plan | $60 | $15 less |
| Amuse Artist plan | $72 | $3 less |
| LANDR Distribution Basic plan | $72 | $3 less |
| CD Baby Standard plan | $73 | $2 less |
| DistroKid Musician plan | $75 | — |
| TuneCore Rising Artist plan | $75 | Same price |
| iMusician Starter plan | $87 | $12 more |
| SoundCloud Artist plan | $117 | $42 more |
Releasing regularly: 6 singles and an EP a year, earning about $600 a year.
| Distributor | Cost over three years | Compared with DistroKid |
|---|---|---|
| Ditto Music Starter plan | $57 | $18 less |
| Too Lost Artist plan | $60 | $15 less |
| UnitedMasters DEBUT+ plan | $60 | $15 less |
| Amuse Artist plan | $72 | $3 less |
| LANDR Distribution Basic plan | $72 | $3 less |
| DistroKid Musician plan | $75 | — |
| TuneCore Rising Artist plan | $75 | Same price |
| iMusician AMPLIFY plan | $116 | $41 more |
| SoundCloud Artist plan | $117 | $42 more |
| RouteNote Free plan | $270 | $195 more |
| CD Baby Standard plan | $387 | $312 more |
| Soundrop Pay per track plan | $435 | $360 more |
Band or small label: 8 singles and 2 albums a year across 3 artist names, earning about $4,000 a year, with royalty splits and YouTube Content ID.
| Distributor | Cost over three years | Compared with DistroKid |
|---|---|---|
| Too Lost Label plan | $108 | $819 less |
| Amuse Artist Pro plan | $180 | $747 less |
| SoundCloud Artist Pro plan | $297 | $630 less |
| Ditto Music Labels plan | $327 | $600 less |
| LANDR Distribution Pro plan | $375 | $552 less |
| TuneCore Professional plan | $495 | $432 less |
| iMusician AMPLIFY+ plan | $512 | $415 less |
| RouteNote Premium plan | $720 | $207 less |
| DistroKid Ultimate plan | $927 | — |
| Soundrop Pay per track plan | $2,399 | $1,472 more |
If you’re weighing up a move, our guide to DistroKid alternatives goes through the main options with their catches, and the rest of our music distribution guides cover each distributor in turn.
A free plan costs nothing up front but keeps a share of your royalties for as long as your music is out. Once you earn enough, a yearly fee works out cheaper:
Once your music earns more than about $127 a year (roughly 3,100 streams a month), Ditto Music’s Starter plan costs less than giving away 15%.
| Paid plan | Yearly fee | Cheaper than a 15% cut once you earn more than | That’s roughly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ditto Music Starter | $19.00 | $127 a year | 3,100 streams a month |
| Too Lost Artist | $19.99 | $133 a year | 3,300 streams a month |
| UnitedMasters DEBUT+ | $19.99 | $133 a year | 3,300 streams a month |
| Amuse Artist | $23.99 | $160 a year | 3,900 streams a month |
| LANDR Distribution Basic | $24.00 | $160 a year | 3,900 streams a month |
| DistroKid Musician | $24.99 | $167 a year | 4,100 streams a month |
| TuneCore Rising Artist | $24.99 | $167 a year | 4,100 streams a month |
More on that trade-off in our guide to free music distribution.
What it doesn’t cover: payout fees, optional extras, tax, discounts and promo codes. Earnings are examples, not forecasts, and the break-even table turns them into streams at an average rate, shown under it. We compare cost only, not service, payout speed or how a distributor treats you when something goes wrong; the alternatives guide above weighs those up.
Anyone can quote or republish these figures, tables included, as long as you credit MusicJet and link to this page. Suggested credit:
Source: MusicJet, Music distribution cost report 2026: what 13 distributors really cost, musicjet.com
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