CD Baby vs DistroKid vs TuneCore vs Amuse vs RouteNote: The Honest 2026 Comparison

Horia Stan is a music producer and sound engineer based in Bucharest, Romania, who has released music through multiple distribution platforms and advises independent artists on distribution decisions. Every music distributor comparison I have read presents pricing in the most favorable possible light. DistroKid ads say "$24.99/year for unlimited releases." That is technically true. It is also not what most active artists actually pay.

This is the version that does not do that. I am going to show you what each distributor costs in real-world use cases, what percentage of your royalties you keep, and which one I would recommend based on your specific release frequency.

I am covering five: DistroKid, CD Baby, TuneCore, Amuse, and RouteNote. Each solves a different problem. Picking wrong costs you money, and the biggest differences hide in what happens when you stop paying.

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What Streaming Platforms Actually Pay Before We Start

This context matters before we discuss distributor commissions.

In 2025-2026, per-stream rates on major platforms (all numbers are industry reported averages):

One million Spotify streams pays approximately $3,000 - $4,000. Not $10,000. Not $15,000. The number you hear from artists who "went viral" includes Apple Music, YouTube, and sync, not just Spotify.

Spotify pays 70% of total revenue to rights holders. That split is pro-rata across all streams globally - your per-stream rate changes month to month depending on total platform volume. It is not a fixed rate.

Apple Music and Tidal pay 2-3x Spotify per stream because they have no free ad-supported tier. Every listener is a paying subscriber.

This matters for distribution comparison because a 9% commission difference between distributors changes your take by $270-$360 per million Spotify streams. That is not nothing, but it is also not a dramatic number at mid-tier streaming volume.

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DistroKid: Best for Active Releasers

Real 2026 Pricing

DistroKid raised prices in 2026. Current tiers:

The base plan is $24.99. If you need YouTube Content ID, that is $4.95/song/year or $14.95/song one-time, added on top. Leave a Legacy (to keep music live if you ever cancel) is around $29 per single or $49 per album, one-time, at the time of writing.

A producer releasing 12 singles per year who wants YouTube Content ID and catalog protection will spend about $84/year with Content ID alone ($24.99 + 12 x $4.95), and roughly $432 in a year where they also buy Leave a Legacy for all 12 singles (12 x $29), not $24.99.

Royalties

100% to artist on core streaming platforms. DistroKid does take 20% of YouTube Content ID revenue if you opt into that service.

The Real Risk

If your DistroKid subscription lapses, your music is pulled from all platforms unless you have purchased Leave a Legacy for each release. This is different from CD Baby's model, where a one-time payment keeps a release live permanently with no annual renewal.

Who Should Use DistroKid

Active releasers putting out 4+ singles per year. The unlimited model becomes cost-efficient around release three when compared to CD Baby's per-release pricing.

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CD Baby: Best for Infrequent Releasers

Real 2026 Pricing

CD Baby charges per release with no annual subscription required.

No annual renewal. Once you pay, the release stays live permanently even if you release nothing for three years.

Royalties

9% commission on all digital revenue, forever. You keep 91%.

The Major 2026 Development

CD Baby is now owned by Universal Music Group. UMG acquired Downtown Music Holdings (CD Baby's parent company) for $775 million in early 2026. The long-term implications for independent artist terms are not yet fully clear. CD Baby has stated artist terms will not change in the short term, but this is worth monitoring.

The UMG acquisition of CD Baby is the most significant structural change in independent distribution in years. An artist signing to CD Baby is now, indirectly, in a business relationship with one of the three major labels. Whether that matters to you depends on your specific situation - but it is information most comparisons are not surfacing yet.

Who Should Use CD Baby

Artists releasing 1-2 times per year. At that cadence, CD Baby's per-release model ($9.99/single) is significantly cheaper than DistroKid's $24.99/year subscription, and you keep the music live forever with no annual fee risk.

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TuneCore: Not the Best Value in 2026

TuneCore made significant changes that shifted their value proposition. It dropped per-release-first pricing and moved to unlimited annual plans.

Real 2026 Pricing

Source: the TuneCore pricing page, checked at the time of writing. TuneCore still sells single releases at $24.99/year and albums at $44.99 for the first year, then $56.49 each following year, but a single costs the same as the Rising Artist plan.

Note: TuneCore discontinued their free tier on June 18, 2025.

Royalties

100% of streaming royalties. However, TuneCore takes a 20% fee on social platform monetization (TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), which covers YouTube Content ID revenue. Publishing admin collection comes with a separate 20% commission and a $75/writer setup fee.

The Problem

You never stop paying. If you cancel renewal, your releases come down at the end of the renewal period, per TuneCore's support center, and there is no Leave a Legacy style option. If you release one album every two years, you pay TuneCore $24.99/year, or $124.95 over five years, to keep it live, versus a single $14.99 forever with CD Baby. And at the same $24.99/year as DistroKid Musician, TuneCore still takes 20% of social platform monetization.

TuneCore is owned by Believe, a French music company - they have more bargaining power with DSPs than fully independent distributors, which may translate into better playlist pitching access. But for most independent artists at indie-scale streaming volume, that advantage does not materially change outcomes.

Who Should Use TuneCore

Artists who need the Believe ecosystem for label services or already have a business relationship there. Also artists who want YouTube Content ID included in the plan rather than paid per song. For pure distribution value, TuneCore is matched by DistroKid on price with a better exit option, and beaten by CD Baby (infrequent releases) and Amuse (price) in most scenarios.

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Amuse: Cheapest Price, Music Stays Live If You Stop Paying

Amuse eliminated their free tier in March 2024. All previously free accounts became dormant - no new releases without upgrading.

Real 2026 Pricing

Royalties

100% to artist on all tiers while subscribed.

What Happens If You Stop Paying

If you cancel your Amuse subscription, your music stays live. Amuse switches you to a commission model and keeps 25% of the royalties those releases earn from then on, per the Amuse support center. Splits start paying a 15% fee, YouTube Content ID monetization is removed, and new uploads need an active subscription.

That makes Amuse one of the few distributors where you can stop paying without your catalog going offline. At DistroKid and TuneCore, releases are taken down when you stop paying, unless you buy DistroKid's Leave a Legacy per release (around $29 per single or $49 per album, at the time of writing).

Leaving Amuse for another distributor costs nothing: re-deliver the releases elsewhere with the same ISRC codes, take them down on Amuse, cancel. The 25% only applies to releases you keep on Amuse without a subscription.

My finding: Amuse is the cheapest entry point for unlimited releases at $23.99/year, and it has the friendliest answer to "what if I stop paying". The trade-off is the 25% commission on anything you leave there unsubscribed. Staying subscribed is cheaper than that commission once a catalog earns more than about $96 a year (25% of $96 is $24).

Who Should Use Amuse

Artists who want unlimited releases at the lowest yearly price, a good mobile app, and the option to stop paying later without their music disappearing. If you release under many royalty splits, note the 15% split fee for non-subscribers.

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RouteNote: The Most Flexible Model

RouteNote is the least marketed of the five platforms but offers a model no other distributor matches: per-release switching between free and premium tiers.

Pricing

Free plan: No upfront cost. RouteNote keeps 15% commission, you keep 85%.

Premium plan (pay-per-release):

The differentiator: you can mix Free and Premium per release. A back-catalog release that earns $15/month may not justify a $10 upfront Premium fee. A new single you expect to push seriously does. You decide per release.

You can also switch existing releases from Free to Premium (pay the fee, stop giving away the 15%) or from Premium to Free (save the renewal, accept the commission cut).

Who Should Use RouteNote

Artists with mixed catalogs - some releases you want to monetize fully, others you are happy leaving on the free model. Also good for artists releasing their first music who want zero upfront cost and can accept the 15% commission while they figure out their release strategy.

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The Comparison Table

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My Recommendation by Situation

Releasing 6+ singles per year: DistroKid Musician plan ($24.99/year) is the cheapest unlimited model with clean exit terms.

Releasing 1-2 times per year: CD Baby ($9.99/single) beats every subscription model. Just make sure to understand the UMG ownership context.

First release, testing the waters: RouteNote free plan. $0 upfront, 85% royalty, clean exit.

Want the lowest yearly price and the option to stop paying later: Amuse Artist ($23.99/year) is cheapest for unlimited releases and keeps music live if you cancel.

No clear answer yet: start with a single release on CD Baby or RouteNote Free and decide once you know how often you release.

For deeper head-to-heads, I also compared RouteNote vs DistroKid and RouteNote vs CD Baby, and rounded up the best DistroKid alternatives.

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Amuse vs DistroKid: The Direct Comparison

This is the question GSC tells me people are actually searching: how do Amuse and DistroKid compare specifically. Here is the answer without the marketing language.

The honest answer to "is Amuse better than DistroKid?": On price, a tie. On what happens when you stop paying, Amuse is friendlier: music stays live with a 25% commission, while DistroKid takes it down unless you bought Leave a Legacy. On reach and extra tools, DistroKid.

If you will stay subscribed either way, pick on reach and tools. If you want a catalog that survives a lapsed subscription without paying per release, Amuse is the better fit. Moving between them later is free in both directions as long as you keep your ISRC codes.

Where Amuse wins: you want the lowest price, the best mobile app, and a catalog that stays online if you ever stop paying. Where DistroKid wins: wider platform reach, multiple artist names and its extra tools.

The $1/year price difference should not decide it. Decide on reach, and on what you want to happen to your music if you stop paying.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do independent artists actually make on Spotify?

The average Spotify per-stream rate in 2026 is approximately $0.0033 - $0.005. One million streams generates roughly $3,000 - $4,000 before distributor commission. Apple Music pays 2-3x more per stream at $0.007 - $0.010.

What happens to my music if I cancel DistroKid?

Your music is removed from all streaming platforms unless you have purchased the Leave a Legacy add-on (around $29 per single or $49 per album, one-time, at the time of writing) for each release. Leave a Legacy keeps individual releases live after subscription cancellation.

Is CD Baby safe to use now that UMG owns it?

CD Baby has stated artist terms will not change under UMG ownership. The platform continues to operate independently. Whether an indirect relationship with a major label is a concern depends on individual artist values - but the distribution service itself functions the same.

Why is TuneCore album renewal so expensive?

On TuneCore's subscription plans there is no separate album renewal: Rising Artist at $24.99/year covers unlimited releases. Bought on its own, a TuneCore album costs $44.99 for the first year and $56.49 each following year, at the time of writing. Either way it is an ongoing cost, which makes TuneCore more expensive than CD Baby's one-time $14.99 for artists with longer-running catalog releases: $24.99 x 5 = $124.95 over five years on the cheapest plan.

Does Amuse really charge 25% if you cancel?

Only on releases you leave on Amuse after cancelling. Your music stays live and Amuse keeps 25% of what those releases earn from then on, instead of taking them down. If you move the releases to another distributor, there is no fee. Staying subscribed is cheaper than the commission once your catalog earns more than about $96 a year.

How does Amuse compare to DistroKid in terms of price and features?

Price is nearly identical: Amuse Artist plan is $23.99/year, DistroKid Musician is $24.99/year. Both give 100% royalties. The key differences are exit terms and platform coverage. DistroKid distributes to ~150 platforms vs Amuse's ~120. DistroKid offers YouTube Content ID as an add-on ($4.95/song/year); Amuse includes it, with a 15% fee on the Artist plan and no fee on higher plans. The biggest difference is what happens if you stop paying: DistroKid removes your releases unless you bought Leave a Legacy for each one, while Amuse keeps them live and takes 25% of their royalties. Leaving either for another distributor is free.

Is Amuse better than DistroKid?

On annual price: barely cheaper ($23.99 vs $24.99). On features: roughly similar for core distribution, with DistroKid reaching more platforms. When you stop paying: Amuse keeps your music live for a 25% commission; DistroKid takes it down unless you paid Leave a Legacy (around $29 per single or $49 per album at the time of writing) for each release. Amuse's mobile app is better. If reach matters most, DistroKid; if you want your catalog to survive a lapsed subscription without paying per release, Amuse.

Amuse vs TuneCore: which is better in 2026?

Amuse at $23.99/year gives 100% royalties on all DSPs. TuneCore Rising Artist costs $24.99/year for unlimited releases, with a 20% fee on social platform monetization, YouTube Content ID included. On price, Amuse is $1/year cheaper. For artists releasing one album and keeping it live for years, both charge every year, so neither beats CD Baby's one-time fee. When you stop paying, TuneCore takes your releases down after the renewal period, while Amuse keeps them live and takes 25% of their royalties.