Music distribution

CD Baby pricing: what it really costs

CD Baby pricing works the opposite way to most distributors: a one-off fee for each release, $9.99 for a single and $14.99 for an EP or album, with nothing to renew. In return it keeps 9% of your streaming and download royalties for as long as your music is up. Put your release plans into the music distribution calculator to see where that lands.

We haven’t used CD Baby and it doesn’t pay us. This page is based on CD Baby’s published prices (checked 27th October 2026).

CD Baby

Plan Yearly fee Per release Royalty cut YouTube Content ID Limits
Standard None Single $9.99, EP $14.99, album $14.99 9% Keeps 30% No limits

One-off fee per release, so there is nothing to renew. Prices checked 27th October 2026.

What CD Baby charges

  • Each release: a single is one track, and anything with two or more tracks is billed at the EP and album price.
  • Royalties: CD Baby keeps 9% of what your music earns from streaming and downloads.
  • YouTube and social video: included in the fee, but CD Baby keeps 30% of what it earns.
  • Nothing yearly: your releases stay up whether or not you release again.

The catches

  • The cut never stops. Because it’s a percentage, CD Baby costs more as you earn more, for as long as the music is live.
  • Fees add up per release. A distributor with a flat yearly fee gets cheaper per release the more you put out. CD Baby does the reverse.
  • No confirmed royalty splits. We couldn’t confirm that CD Baby pays collaborators their share automatically, so check before you rely on it.
  • Optional extras take a further cut. The CDB Boost add-on covers The MLC, SoundExchange registration and sync pitching, and CD Baby keeps a share of what those earn.

When is CD Baby the cheaper choice?

Only if you release once or twice a year and your music earns little. Past that, a yearly plan costs less, and RouteNote’s free plan can cost less again while your earnings are very small. It also suits you if you don’t want a subscription at all: with nothing to renew, a missed payment can’t take your music down. To see it release by release against the best-known yearly plan, put CD Baby next to DistroKid. Other options are in our music distribution guides.

Common questions

Does CD Baby have a yearly fee?

No. You pay once per release and your music stays up, with no renewals.

Does CD Baby offer royalty splits?

We couldn’t confirm that it does automatically. Ask CD Baby before you rely on it for a band or collaboration.

Can I move my music away from CD Baby?

Yes. Upload to the new distributor with the same ISRC codes, then take the old versions down once the new ones are live. Our guide on how to switch distributors has the steps.