Music distribution
DistroKid vs TuneCore, or TuneCore vs DistroKid if you like it the other way round, is mostly a draw on price. DistroKid Musician costs $24.99 a year and TuneCore Rising Artist $24.99, both for unlimited releases, and neither keeps any of your streaming royalties. The differences show up with extras such as YouTube Content ID and extra artist names, so test both on your releases in the music distribution calculator.
| Example artist | DistroKid | TuneCore |
|---|---|---|
| Just starting out 2 singles a year, earning about $50 a year |
$75
Musician plan
Same price
|
$75
Rising Artist plan
Same price
|
| Releasing regularly 6 singles and an EP a year, earning about $600 a year |
$75
Musician plan
Same price
|
$75
Rising Artist plan
Same price
|
| 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 |
$927
Ultimate plan
|
$495
Professional plan
Cheapest
|
For a solo artist they cost the same. TuneCore works out cheaper once you want YouTube Content ID, because DistroKid charges for it on every release, every year. For two artist names, DistroKid’s Musician Plus ($44.99 a year) costs less than TuneCore Professional ($54.99) plus $14.99 for the extra artist.
| Plan | Yearly fee | Per release | Royalty cut | YouTube Content ID | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Musician | $24.99 | None | None | $4.95 per single, $14.95 per album a year; keeps 20% | 1 artist name |
| Musician Plus | $44.99 | None | None | $4.95 per single, $14.95 per album a year; keeps 20% | 2 artist names |
| Ultimate | $89.99 | None | None | $4.95 per single, $14.95 per album a year; keeps 20% | 5 artist names |
| Plan | Yearly fee | Per release | Royalty cut | YouTube Content ID | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rising Artist | $24.99 | None | None | Keeps 20% | 1 artist name |
| Breakout Artist | $44.99 | None | None | Keeps 20% | 1 artist name |
| Professional | $54.99 | None | None | Keeps 20% | 1 artist name (extra artists $14.99 a year each) |
| Pay Per Release | None | Single $24.99, EP $44.99, album $44.99; then single $24.99, EP $56.49, album $56.49 a year | None | Not confirmed | No limits |
If neither fits, our music distribution guides cover the other options.
On price they’re level for a solo artist. Choose TuneCore if you want YouTube Content ID without paying per release, and DistroKid if you need a second artist name on a budget. Each one’s catches are in what DistroKid charges and what TuneCore charges.
Both take your releases down. TuneCore first gives you a 42-day grace period after a missed renewal.
Yes. Upload to the new distributor using the same ISRC codes so streaming services keep your play counts, then remove the old versions once they’re live. Our guide on how to switch distributors walks through it.