DistroKid vs Amuse: which one fits you?
Prices are close: Amuse Artist is $23.99 a year and DistroKid Musician $24.99, both with unlimited releases and 100% of streaming royalties. Amuse includes YouTube Content ID (15% fee on Artist) and sells cover licences for $14.99 once. DistroKid accepts AI music with credits; Amuse leaves some stores out for AI music.
SOURCE: Amuse pricing · CHECKED 16 October 2026Music Distributor Picker runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.
Amuse no longer has a free plan, so it now competes with DistroKid on yearly price. The two are a dollar apart; the extras decide it.
Pick DistroKid if
- You make AI-assisted music and want it sent to every store DistroKid serves (with AI credits).
- You want automatic splits with no fee for collaborators on the cheapest plan.
- You already use HyperFollow pages for pre-saves.
Pick Amuse if
- You want YouTube Content ID without an add-on (15% fee on Artist, no fee on Artist Plus at $39.99).
- You release one cover and want a US licence paid once ($14.99) instead of yearly ($12 a year at DistroKid).
- You want to submit releases for Amuse's own Spotify playlists.
Splits are the catch on Amuse Artist
Amuse has splits on every plan, but on Artist a 15% fee applies to collaborators who do not have their own Amuse plan. On Artist Plus and Professional splits are free. DistroKid includes splits on every plan.
DistroKid vs Amuse: the facts side by side
| DistroKid | Amuse | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Yearly subscription with unlimited uploads. Some extras, like video monetisation and cover licences, cost more per release. | Yearly subscription with unlimited releases. Amuse says it no longer offers free distribution. |
| Plans (first 12 months) | Musician: $24.99 a year; Musician Plus: $44.99 a year; Ultimate: $89.99 a year | Artist: $23.99 a year; Artist Plus: $39.99 a year; Professional: $59.99 a year |
| Royalties you keep | You keep 100% of streaming royalties. Money from YouTube and TikTok videos goes through a paid add-on that keeps 20%. | You keep 100% of royalties, except YouTube Content ID on the Artist plan. |
| YouTube Content ID | Extra cost. Paid add-on (Social Media Pack): $4.95 per single per year, or $14.95 per album per year, plus 20% of the ad money. | Yes. On every plan: a 15% fee on Artist, no fee on Artist Plus and Professional. |
| Automatic splits | Yes. Automatic splits between collaborators on every plan; DistroKid pays them. | Yes. Splits on every plan. Free on Artist Plus and Professional; on Artist, a 15% fee for collaborators without an Amuse plan. |
| Pre-save and pitching | Yes. Free pre-save pages (HyperFollow), and a chance to be featured on DistroKid's own Spotify playlists. You pitch Spotify's editors yourself in Spotify for Artists. | Yes. Pre-save links on every plan. You can submit releases for Amuse's own Spotify playlists, with no promise of a place. |
| Cover song licences | Yes. Sells cover song licences: $12 per cover song per year. | Yes. Sells US cover licences: $14.99 one time per cover, for one cover on one release. |
| AI music | Yes, with AI credits. DistroKid accepts music made with AI tools if you own all the rights, do not copy anyone's voice or likeness without permission, and are not flooding stores. The upload form asks whether AI generated any part of the track. | Yes, but not to every store. Amuse allows AI-generated music, but leaves out stores that do not accept AI content, including Qobuz, Meta and YouTube Content ID. Tracks imitating well-known artists and AI covers are rejected. |
| Upload lead time | Upload about 4 weeks before release day, so it goes live everywhere on the day. | Upload about 4 weeks before release day, so it goes live everywhere on the day. |
| Artificial streaming fee | DistroKid does not publish its own fee for artificial streaming. Spotify charges distributors per track (TuneCore puts it at €10 per track per month); check your DistroKid notice and statements for any amount. | Amuse deducts $10 per track found in Spotify's report from your Amuse wallet. |
What the first year costs
| Singles in 12 months | DistroKid | Amuse |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $24.99 on Musician | $23.99 on Artist |
| 4 | $24.99 on Musician | $23.99 on Artist |
| 12 | $24.99 on Musician | $23.99 on Artist |
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.
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
Is Amuse still free?
No. Amuse's own FAQ says it no longer offers free distribution. The cheapest plan, Artist, is $23.99 a year.
Is DistroKid or Amuse cheaper?
Amuse Artist is $23.99 a year and DistroKid Musician $24.99. With Content ID, Amuse costs less because DistroKid charges an add-on per release.
Which accepts AI music?
Both accept some. DistroKid asks for AI credits. Amuse allows AI music but leaves out stores that do not accept it, including YouTube Content ID, and rejects AI covers.
How early do I schedule a release on Amuse?
Amuse says at least 14 days ahead on Artist, 10 on Artist Plus and 7 on Professional. DistroKid recommends about 4 weeks.
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. - DistroKid vs TuneCore: which one fits you?
DistroKid vs TuneCore: both start at $24.99 a year and keep 0% of streaming money. Content ID, pre-saves, covers and AI rules compared, with sources. - 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. - TuneCore vs CD Baby: which one fits you?
TuneCore is $24.99 a year and keeps 0% of streaming money. CD Baby is $9.99 per single once and keeps 9%. Both include YouTube Content ID. Sources linked. - 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. - 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. - 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
- 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
- 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
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