The music industry is ever-evolving and always expanding, with a huge number of emerging music artists being introduced every year. The digital landscape for music artists has become even more competitive, and most of the rising artists are struggling to gain ample exposure for their musical careers. In 2025, having a music distributor is not just important but absolutely non-negotiable for music artists who are serious about it and trying to create a successful career with their passion. Music artists can easily find a handful of music distribution platforms that help them distribute their music to digital streaming platforms (DSPs) and gain popularity globally. These distributors can help all kinds of music artists, and the top 3 names in the field would be DistroKid, TuneCore, and CD Baby.
What is a Music Distributor?
A music distributor is an official body that acts like a bridge between the artists and the music streaming platforms, helping to distribute your music to the major DSPs. While independent music artists work alone without the help of a music record label, they still require the help of a music distributor who can legally place their music on the streaming platforms and create an opportunity to get popular and monetize their content. The music distributors can help to distribute music on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL, and the list goes on. Other than music distribution, they also handle other tasks such as,
1. Royalty Collection
2. Splits for Collaborators
3. YouTube Content ID monetization
4. Publishing Administration
5. Sync Licensing (TV, film, games)
Music Distributor Essentials: Things to Consider
Music artists who work under the official record labels are not required to take care of anything other than just making music, as the label takes care of the rest of the work. However, self-releasing independent music artists do not have that advantage, and that is why music distributors are an integral need for them. They do not just upload music to the streaming platforms, but they also support the careers of the rising indie artists with attributes like earnings transparency, legal policies, customer support, and others. This can make a big difference for the growth of your musical career, and therefore, you need to be careful when opting for a distributor. Here are some key questions that can help you find the best music distributor in the market.
• How much do you need to pay upfront, and what is the frequency of the payment?
• How much of the royalties can you keep? Are there any hidden charges?
• How much time will it take for your music to get live?
• Which distributor is providing the best value for money in terms of service and royalty?
• Is the platform providing any professional tools for marketing analytics, visibility, and growth?
After going through a comparative analysis among diversified music distributors, you will be able to opt for a single distributor that is suitable for your music and its growth. If you are not sure how to compare these music distributors, here is an analysis of DistroKid vs. TuneCore vs. CD Baby that can help you out with a proper breakdown of the pros and cons offered by each distributor. This indie artist guide will allow you to opt for the most suitable option.
DistroKid vs. TuneCore vs. CD Baby
DistroKid
DistroKid is one of the leading music distributors in the market that can empower all kinds of independent music artists, including bands, DJs, solo musicians, music producers, record labels, and so on. It is a dynamic platform with a positive market reputation, and it is also quite affordable as DistroKid membership costs $24.99 for the whole year, along with the benefits of unlimited songs and album uploads. This platform offers a handful of exciting features, such as playlist spotlight, Hyperfollow, promo cards, video generator, and many others.
Hyperfollow helps to put all of your content, such as music, videos, and social media links, in a single spot so that listeners can easily find you and follow you everywhere. On the other hand, the Vizy Video Generator is a reliable tool that helps to create music videos based on a suitable theme and template that matches the vibe of the song. The platform also provides exclusive mastering services, which are included in the plan.
PROS
• Super Fast Release – The release process is quite fast on DistroKid, as it takes only a day from uploading your music until it hits social media. Therefore, there is no delay, and you can also release your tracks at the 11th hour with a one-day window of one day only.
• Easy Uploads – The platform is highly user-friendly, and the song upload process is quite easy here, where you just need to fill out a form with simple checkboxes and prompts. It is a guided process, and no artist would find it difficult.
• Split Revenue – If you are not a solo music artist and work with a group, then you would need to split your revenue with the other members. Fortunately, you can split your revenue directly from the platform only with the help of the official website.
CONS
• Difficult Support – Getting customer support can be difficult on this platform, as it is always busy with other artists, and you should hope for no obstacles in the upload process.
• Lack of Transparency – Although DistroKid claims “100% of your revenue goes to the artist”, this claim is debatable, as a lot of artists have not agreed with the statement, which questions their integrity.
• Extra Fees for Features – If you are willing to specify your ISRC code, edit the name of the record label, or fix a release date, these features will cost an added fee.
TuneCore
Just like DistroKid, TuneCore has also become quite popular in the industry with its high-quality music distribution. This platform charges only $22.99 a year, and they provide a handful of services to prepare, sell, and promote your creative musical content. TuneCore can be considered as one of the powerful all-in-one music distributor where all kinds of tasks from the creative process can be done, including recording, mixing, production, and mastering through their Studio One. The platform also provides music licensing services, and that works for song covers as well.
TuneCore also collaborates with Groover to help music artists promote their music through blogs, radio, and Spotify playlisters. The platform can empower all kinds of artists, whether a rapper, a singer, or a producer. For the music artists who are trying to test the water before investing any money in this distributor, they can avail themselves of the free tier service, which comes with limited features.
PROS
• TuneCore Publishing – This all-in-one platform is perfect for music publishing, as everything can be done under a common shade. It is a connected service that costs a one-time fee of $75 and that will be enough to manage your song composition, royalties, usage, and other aspects. Therefore, music artists are not required to go to multiple platforms for the final work.
• Ultimate Customer Service – TuneCore is also highly busy, just like the rest of the music distributors. However, they are not ignorant and they assure to revert to you within 3 days.
• Gain 100% Royalty – TuneCore has managed to offer what they claim, and they can provide 100% royalty to the music artists, and that is proven. You are not required to worry about any hidden charges in this case.
CONS
• Free Bait – The free-tier service is more likely bait for the indie music artists, as in this service, your music is not distributed to any streaming platform. Rather, the songs are shared on social media, and that does not make any difference. Therefore, paid services are the best option to avail of.
• Pay Per Release – TuneCore has introduced a special pay-per-release model, which might sound interesting, as not all music artists are making consistent releases every year. However, this model can add up in the long run. In this case, you are required to pay an additional $9.99 for a single track and $39.99 for an album. This is only for the first year, as the cost for the album increases to $49.99 from the next year of subscription.
• Hidden Commission – Although they provide good royalties, TuneCore publishing charges 15% commission from the earnings of the music artists, and that increases to 50% in case of sync commission, where your music will be used in movies, TV, video games, etc.
CD Baby
CD Baby is one of the earliest independent distributors in the modern music scene that truly understood the needs of independent music artists. They have a different pricing model as they do not charge annually like most other music distributors. Instead, they charge for each release, and the amount is quite nominal at $9.99 only. This cost is applicable for both singles and albums, and therefore, making album releases with the help of CD Baby can be great for your budget.
One of the best features of CD Baby that makes it stand out among other distributors is its CD and vinyl distribution services. Just like their name suggests, this company is paving the way for an epic comeback of CDs and vinyl in the music industry, which has become highly popular in the last few years, along with improved sales. This is quite helpful for the artists as it opens new opportunities for passive income with physical copies, other than the streaming royalties. CD Baby provides pro services where the distributor can affiliate you with a PRO (Performing Rights Organization) in Canada and the USA. North American music artists can take complete advantage of this special service.
PROS
• A Master Plan – CD Baby provides a powerful integrated plan that includes everything, starting from sync licensing, publishing administration, and mastering. This is an all-in-one plan for all kinds of music artists, whether a rapper, a singer, or a DJ.
• Marketing Tools – It provides a handful of marketing tools that help artists promote their music. CD Baby has many free resources, such as a blog, podcast, DIY Musician Conference, and a lot more, which can help all kinds of indie artists grow more with proper guidance, grooming, and tips.
• Permanent Hosting – You just have to pay once for your music, and it will stay up forever. Unlike the other distributors, CD Baby does not charge annually, and paying for a single release makes it eligible for permanent hosting. The pricing is quite affordable, transparent, and upfront.
CONS
• Diversified Commissions – This distributor charges around 9% commission on average from the total revenue you earn from your music. However, this commission also depends on the package you purchase from the company.
• Unreliable Customer Service – A lot of artists who work with CD Baby have complained about the fact that the distributor is quite unresponsive and the customer service is poor.
• Pay when Inactive – This is an interesting disadvantage of this distributor, as the artists are required to pay more when not releasing music projects frequently. This is definitely a con as the cost adds up, but also good in a way that pushes your creative psyche to create more music.
Final Thoughts
No matter which music distributor you choose, there will always be some advantages and disadvantages that you need to consider before you hire one. All kinds of independent music distributors can help you gain more success and earn more revenue through your music, but a fair share of loopholes also makes the artists skeptical about it. Quite obviously, there will be some major differences between the music distributors and music record labels, and you should not compare them. See, there are more than 45 million songs on Spotify that have 0 or very few streams, and the artists are hustling hard. Be consistent with your music and work with a suitable music distributor to become successful.
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