Music distribution
The best DistroKid alternatives depend on how often you release and what you need: for most solo artists a cheaper yearly plan, for bands and labels one that covers several artist names. The table below ranks every distributor we track against DistroKid for a regular releaser, using each one’s own prices, and you can run your own releases through the music distribution calculator.
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 |
For a band or small label with several artist names, the cheapest is currently Too Lost’s Label plan, at $108 over three years.
There’s no single best one. Pick on what matters to you:
DistroKid itself is still good value if you release a lot, so see what it charges and where it catches you out before you leave.
UnitedMasters is the closest match on price. DEBUT+ costs $19.99 a year for unlimited releases against DistroKid’s $24.99, and neither keeps your streaming royalties. YouTube Content ID is an opt-in at $4.99 per release (its help centre doesn’t mention a yearly renewal), with UnitedMasters keeping 20% of what it earns. DistroKid charges its Content ID fee every year.
The catches: each membership covers one artist, so bands and labels don’t fit, and releases come down if you stop paying. UnitedMasters stopped distributing music on its free plan in October 2025. The SELECT plan adds faster reviews and sync and brand opportunities. It suits a solo artist who wants the lower fee and Content ID.
Too Lost is the budget pick. Its Artist plan costs $19.99 a year for one artist, YouTube Content ID is a free opt-in for music you own outright, and it keeps none of your streaming royalties. If you stop paying, releases stay up but Too Lost keeps a cut of their royalties until you resubscribe. DistroKid takes them down.
The catches: cashing out costs money, because each payout carries a processing fee. Too Lost doesn’t publish a Content ID-specific rate, only that you keep your earnings. And once you move up to the Label plan you can’t move back down. It suits labels and anyone managing several artists on a budget, or an artist who wants a safety net if one year’s fee is a stretch.
ONErpm isn’t a price fight, because you can’t just sign up: it works by invitation or application, and it isn’t in our calculator. It charges nothing upfront and takes a share of what your music earns instead. Its FAQ, last updated in May 2024, lists what it pays artists from download stores and video but doesn’t clearly say what it keeps from streaming, and invited artists’ deals may differ. Without that number we’d rather show nothing than guess.
If you get an offer, ask what share of streaming and YouTube you keep, how long the deal lasts, how you leave and whether you keep your masters. Get the answers in writing, multiply by what you earn in a year and compare with a flat fee. A share is cheap while you earn little and dear once you earn more.
For an artist releasing six singles and an EP a year, it’s currently Ditto Music’s Starter plan, at $57 over three years. For a band or small label, it’s Too Lost’s Label plan, at $108 over three years.
Yes. RouteNote’s free plan gets your music onto Spotify and Apple Music with nothing to pay upfront, but it keeps part of your royalties.
Not if you upload to the new distributor with the same ISRC codes, which lets the streaming services keep your play counts. Remove the old versions once the new ones are live. Our guide on how to switch distributors has the steps.