DistroKid vs CD Baby: yearly plan or pay once?
DistroKid is $24.99 a year for unlimited releases and keeps 0% of streaming royalties. CD Baby is $9.99 per single or $14.99 per album, paid once, and keeps 9% of digital money forever. One release a year: CD Baby costs less up front. Three or more: DistroKid does.
SOURCE: CD Baby: How much does CD Baby cost · CHECKED 16 October 2026Music Distributor Picker runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded.
This is the clearest split in music distribution: pay every year and keep everything, or pay once and give up a share. Neither is a better deal for everyone. It depends on how many songs you release and how much they earn.
Pick DistroKid if
- You will release three or more singles in a year: three CD Baby singles cost $29.97, more than DistroKid's $24.99 plan.
- You want to keep 100% of streaming royalties.
- You want automatic splits: DistroKid pays collaborators for you. We found no automatic splits feature on CD Baby's pages.
- You make music with AI tools. CD Baby does not accept any AI-generated content.
Pick CD Baby if
- You release one song or one album and may not release again for a while.
- You do not want a yearly bill: CD Baby has no subscription, so the release stays up without renewing.
- You want YouTube Content ID included without an add-on (CD Baby keeps 30% of social video money).
When the 9% starts to matter
CD Baby's 9% only costs you if the music earns. On $100 of streaming money it is $9, about the price of one single. On $1,000 it is $90. If your release earns a few dollars a year, the one-off fee wins. Use the streams to money calculator to see what your streams pay after each cut.
DistroKid vs CD Baby: the facts side by side
| DistroKid | CD Baby | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Yearly subscription with unlimited uploads. Some extras, like video monetisation and cover licences, cost more per release. | One-time fee per release, no yearly fee. CD Baby keeps 9% of digital distribution money. |
| Plans (first 12 months) | Musician: $24.99 a year; Musician Plus: $44.99 a year; Ultimate: $89.99 a year | Pay per release: $9.99 per release, keeps 9% |
| 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 91% of digital distribution money; CD Baby keeps 9%. |
| 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. YouTube Content ID money is included. CD Baby keeps 30% of social video money (YouTube, TikTok, Meta). |
| Automatic splits | Yes. Automatic splits between collaborators on every plan; DistroKid pays them. | Not stated. We found no automatic splits feature on CD Baby's own pages. |
| 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. Free marketing tools to drive pre-saves, and consideration for its playlist pitching (no promise). |
| Cover song licences | Yes. Sells cover song licences: $12 per cover song per year. | No. No longer sells cover licences itself; it points you to a licensing partner. |
| 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. | No. CD Baby says it cannot accept any AI-generated content, even if it is commercially licensed and even if only part of the recording is AI. AI content it finds is removed, and repeat attempts can end your account. |
| 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. | Spotify's flat penalty of approximately $10 to $11 per affected track per month appears as a negative transaction in Sales & Accounting > Transaction Reporting. |
What the first year costs
| Singles in 12 months | DistroKid | CD Baby |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $24.99 on Musician | $9.99 on Pay per release, keeps 9% |
| 4 | $24.99 on Musician | $39.96 on Pay per release, keeps 9% |
| 12 | $24.99 on Musician | $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.
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 CD Baby cheaper than DistroKid?
For one release, yes: $9.99 once against $24.99 a year. From three singles a year DistroKid costs less, and it keeps 0% of streaming money where CD Baby keeps 9%.
Do I have to keep paying CD Baby?
No. CD Baby charges once per release with no subscription or yearly fee. It keeps 9% of digital distribution money instead.
Does CD Baby accept AI music?
No. CD Baby says it cannot accept any AI-generated content, even if commercially licensed or only partly AI. DistroKid accepts it with AI credits.
Which has Content ID?
CD Baby includes YouTube Content ID and keeps 30% of social video money. DistroKid sells it as the Social Media Pack add-on.
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. - 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. - DistroKid vs Amuse: which one fits you?
DistroKid is $24.99 a year, Amuse $23.99. Both keep 0% of streaming money. How Content ID, splits, cover licences and AI rules differ, with dated sources. - 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
- 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.