The cheapest music distributor for how often you release
For one single, CD Baby ($9.99 once, keeps 9%) and RouteNote Premium ($10, keeps 0%) cost least up front. For four or more, a yearly plan wins: Ditto Starter ($19), UnitedMasters DEBUT+ and Too Lost ($19.99), Amuse ($23.99), LANDR ($24), DistroKid and TuneCore ($24.99). Free plans cost $0 but keep a share.
SOURCE: Ditto Music pricing · CHECKED 16 October 2026Music Distributor Picker runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.
Cheapest depends on two numbers: how many releases you put out in a year, and how much the music earns. Pay per release is cheapest for one song. Yearly plans are cheapest for several. Free plans cost nothing until the music earns, then they take a share.
First-year cost by number of singles
| Singles in 12 months | RouteNote | ONErpm | Ditto Music | UnitedMasters | Too Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 on Free, keeps 15% | $0 on Emerging (self-service), keeps a share | $19 on Starter | $19.99 on DEBUT+ | $19.99 on Artist |
| 4 | $0 on Free, keeps 15% | $0 on Emerging (self-service), keeps a share | $19 on Starter | $19.99 on DEBUT+ | $19.99 on Artist |
| 12 | $0 on Free, keeps 15% | $0 on Emerging (self-service), keeps a share | $19 on Starter | $19.99 on DEBUT+ | $19.99 on Artist |
| Singles in 12 months | Amuse | LANDR | DistroKid | TuneCore | Symphonic | CD Baby |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $23.99 on Artist | $24 on Distribution Basic | $24.99 on Musician | $24.99 on Rising Artist | $29.99 on Starter | $9.99 on Pay per release, keeps 9% |
| 4 | $23.99 on Artist | $24 on Distribution Basic | $24.99 on Musician | $24.99 on Rising Artist | $29.99 on Starter | $39.96 on Pay per release, keeps 9% |
| 12 | $23.99 on Artist | $24 on Distribution Basic | $24.99 on Musician | $24.99 on Rising Artist | $29.99 on Starter | $119.88 on Pay per release, keeps 9% |
Costs are for the first 12 months on the cheapest plan, from the prices on each distributor's page, in US dollars before tax, with no add-ons. Yearly plans renew every year; one-off fees do not. The picker above adds Content ID, splits and a cover licence when you need them.
Hidden costs to check
- YouTube Content ID: DistroKid charges $4.95 per single per year and UnitedMasters $4.99 per release; Ditto needs Pro ($59). Others include it with a fee on that money.
- Cover licences: DistroKid $12 per song per year, Amuse and Too Lost $14.99 once, LANDR $15 once, TuneCore $17 (under 500 downloads), Symphonic's partner $19.99 plus royalties.
- Renewals: yearly plans renew every year. RouteNote Premium adds $9.99 a year per release from year two. CD Baby's fee is once only.
- Splits: Amuse Artist charges collaborators without their own plan a 15% fee.
Stage is not paid by any distributor and none of the links on this page are affiliate links. We read each distributor's own pricing and help pages on the date shown and link every fact to the page it came from. Prices change, so open the source before you pay.
Questions artists ask
What is the cheapest music distributor?
For several releases a year, Ditto Starter at $19 a year was the lowest yearly price we found on 16 October 2026. For one single, CD Baby ($9.99 once, keeps 9%) or RouteNote Premium ($10) cost less. RouteNote Free costs $0 and keeps 15%.
What is the cheapest way to put a song on Spotify?
RouteNote Free costs nothing up front and keeps 15% of the money. If you want to keep 100%, RouteNote Premium is $10 per single for the first year.
Are yearly plans worth it for one song?
Usually not in money terms: one single costs $9.99 at CD Baby or $10 at RouteNote Premium, against $19 to $24.99 for a year. Yearly plans win from about two or three releases.
Do cheap distributors pay less per stream?
No. The stores pay the same; what changes is the share the distributor keeps. A plan that keeps 0% passes on everything the store pays.
Related
- Which music distributor should I use?
Answer 7 questions and get a ranked shortlist of 12 music distributors, with each one's price, cut and rules, read on its own site on 16 October 2026. - Free music distribution: who is free and what they keep
Free music distributors charge nothing up front and keep a share instead: RouteNote Free keeps 15%. Who is free, what they keep, when paying costs less. - DistroKid vs CD Baby: yearly plan or pay once?
DistroKid charges $24.99 a year and keeps 0%. CD Baby charges $9.99 per single once and keeps 9%. Which fits you depends on how often you release. - DistroKid vs Ditto Music: which one fits you?
Ditto Starter is $19 a year, DistroKid Musician $24.99. Both keep 0% of streaming money and pay splits. Content ID, covers and AI rules compared. - Streams to money calculator: what every platform pays per stream
What Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and 7 more pay per stream in 2026, after your distributor's cut and splits. Sourced, dated ranges. Free. - Music release planner: every deadline from upload to release day
Free release planner: pick a date and distributor and get every deadline (upload, Spotify pitch, pre-save, release day), each with its dated source. - Can you upload AI music? Rules for 24 platforms and distributors
Spotify: yes. Bandcamp and CD Baby: no. Most distributors: yes, with limits. AI music rules for 24 platforms in each company's own words, dated. - Artificial streaming checker: your Spotify numbers, notice and fee
Got an artificial streaming notice? Check your Spotify for Artists numbers, estimate the €10 per track fee, and see what your distributor says to do.
Sources
- RouteNote: Which pricing model should I choose? · checked 16 October 2026
- RouteNote: How much does Premium cost? · checked 16 October 2026
- RouteNote: How can I monetise with YouTube? · checked 16 October 2026
- RouteNote blog: Revenue Sharing · checked 16 October 2026
- RouteNote: How do I get my Pre-save links? · checked 16 October 2026
- RouteNote: Can I upload cover songs? · checked 16 October 2026
- RouteNote Support Hub: Can I upload AI releases? · checked 15 October 2026
- RouteNote blog (21 May 2024): What Spotify's artificial streaming policy means for RouteNote artists · checked 15 October 2026
- ONErpm: How it works · checked 16 October 2026
- ONErpm FAQ · checked 16 October 2026
- ONErpm distribution agreement (classic site) · checked 16 October 2026
- ONErpm: Business Intelligence · checked 16 October 2026
- ONErpm blog: covers · checked 16 October 2026
- ONErpm Blog: Artificial Intelligence in Music (release classification) · checked 15 October 2026
- ONErpm blog: Inorganic activity (bot farms and inauthentic playcounts) · checked 15 October 2026
- Ditto Music pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- Ditto support: covers, remixes and samples · checked 16 October 2026
- Ditto Help: Can I release AI-generated music with Ditto Music? · checked 15 October 2026
- Ditto Help: Why do I have negative Spotify royalties? · checked 15 October 2026
- UnitedMasters: Plans for artists · checked 16 October 2026
- UnitedMasters SELECT page · checked 16 October 2026
- UnitedMasters Help: Does UnitedMasters distribute music that was generated by AI tools? · checked 15 October 2026
- UnitedMasters: Tips to avoid artificial streaming scams · checked 15 October 2026
- Too Lost help: How much does Too Lost cost? · checked 16 October 2026
- Too Lost help: Does Too Lost take a cut? · checked 16 October 2026
- Too Lost help: What is Too Lost? · checked 16 October 2026
- Too Lost help: How do I set up a royalty split? · checked 16 October 2026
- Too Lost help: How do I distribute a cover song? · checked 16 October 2026
- Too Lost Help: Does Too Lost Distribute AI Music? · checked 15 October 2026
- Too Lost Help: Artificial Streaming Explained · checked 16 October 2026
- Amuse pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- Amuse help: FAQ · checked 16 October 2026
- Amuse: Selected by Amuse · checked 16 October 2026
- Amuse help: Cover Song Licenses · checked 16 October 2026
- Amuse Help: Content not approved on Amuse · checked 15 October 2026
- Amuse help: Release Times & Scheduling · checked 16 October 2026
- Amuse Help: What are the consequences of Artificial Streaming? · checked 16 October 2026
- LANDR help: How much does it cost to distribute music? · checked 16 October 2026
- LANDR music distribution · checked 16 October 2026
- LANDR help: How do I get paid for my music on YouTube? · checked 16 October 2026
- LANDR distribution · checked 16 October 2026
- LANDR help: What are royalty splits? · checked 16 October 2026
- LANDR Help: Does LANDR accept AI-generated tracks? · checked 15 October 2026
- LANDR Help: What do I do if I receive a notification of artificial streaming in my dashboard? · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid plans and pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid help: What Are Album Extras? · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid: Spotify · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid cover song licensing · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid Help: Can I Upload Music Made With AI Tools to DistroKid? · checked 15 October 2026
- DistroKid help: How to Release Music on DistroKid · checked 16 October 2026
- DistroKid Help: I Received an "Artificial Streaming" Notice from Spotify. What Should I Do? · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore pricing · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore home page · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore help: Artist Pitch Forms · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore cover song licensing · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore Help: TuneCore's GenAI Music Content Framework · checked 15 October 2026
- TuneCore help: How long does it take for my music to go live in stores? · checked 16 October 2026
- TuneCore Help: Fees & Penalties for Artificial Streaming (updated 15 Oct 2026) · checked 16 October 2026
- Symphonic Starter · checked 16 October 2026
- Symphonic pricing FAQ · checked 16 October 2026
- Symphonic: Easy Song Licensing · checked 16 October 2026
- Symphonic: Terms of Use (section 9.8, Generative AI Disclosure) · checked 15 October 2026
- Symphonic: Trust & Safety · checked 15 October 2026
- CD Baby: How much does CD Baby cost · checked 16 October 2026
- CD Baby help: How much does CD Baby cost? · checked 16 October 2026
- CD Baby cover song licensing · checked 16 October 2026
- CD Baby Help: Understanding Production Sounds · checked 15 October 2026
- CD Baby help: When should I set my release date and how long does distribution take? · checked 16 October 2026
- CD Baby Help: Why have I been charged an artificial streaming fee? · checked 16 October 2026
Found something out of date? Email info@groovegainer.com and we fix it, usually the same week. How we check our sources.