DistroKid vs TuneCore is closer than most comparisons make it look: both start at $24.99 a year for one artist with unlimited releases, so the choice comes down to release-date control, how many artist names you need, and what you earn on social platforms. You have a finished song, two distributors charging the same price, and no clear reason to pick one. Here is how we would decide, using each company’s own pricing page.
Our verdict
- One artist who wants to choose the release date: we’d pick TuneCore Rising Artist. At $24.99 a year it lists “Release on Your Schedule”, while DistroKid lists custom release and pre-order dates as a Musician Plus feature at $44.99.
- Two artist names or a duo side project: we’d pick DistroKid Musician Plus. $44.99 a year covers two artists or bands. TuneCore’s plan for managing several artists is Professional at $54.99.
- You earn mostly from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube: read the fees first. TuneCore’s pricing page states a 20% fee on those earnings. DistroKid’s pricing page says “keep 100% of earnings”; check its current terms for social platforms before you rely on that.
- You release one or two songs a year: neither. A pay-once distributor such as CD Baby costs less at that pace (see the calculator below).
DistroKid vs TuneCore plans compared
| Plan | Price per year | Artists | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| DistroKid Musician | $24.99 | 1 artist or band | Unlimited uploads, royalty splits, Spotify registered artist profile |
| DistroKid Musician Plus | $44.99 | 2 artists or bands | Custom release and pre-order dates, custom label name, daily streaming stats, synced lyrics in Apple Music |
| DistroKid Ultimate | $89.99 | Up to 100 artists | Everything in Musician Plus, more data and management tools |
| TuneCore Rising Artist | $24.99 | 1 artist | Unlimited releases to 150+ stores, release on your schedule, revenue splits, YouTube Content ID |
| TuneCore Breakout Artist | $44.99 | 1 artist | Adds Store Automator, cover art creator, 2-business-day support |
| TuneCore Professional | $54.99 | Multiple artists (extra profiles $14.99 each) | Custom label name, 1-business-day support |
From the DistroKid and TuneCore pricing pages. Both change their plans from time to time, so check before you pay.
Is TuneCore better than DistroKid?
For a single artist, TuneCore’s entry plan gives slightly more for the same $24.99, mainly the ability to set your own release date. DistroKid is the better deal once you need a second artist name, and its plans list a few extras TuneCore keeps for higher tiers, such as a custom label name at $44.99 instead of $54.99. Neither is better for everyone; the table above shows which features sit on which plan.
Does TuneCore pay better than DistroKid?
Neither one sets how much a stream is worth. Spotify, Apple Music and the other stores decide what they pay for your music, and the distributor passes that money on to you. The differences are in the fees taken along the way. DistroKid’s pricing page promises you keep 100% of earnings. TuneCore’s pricing page lists a 20% fee on earnings from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. If most of your income comes from streaming services rather than social platforms, the payout difference is small.
How much does DistroKid pay per 1,000 streams?
There is no fixed DistroKid rate. What 1,000 streams earn depends on the store, the listener’s country and whether they pay for a subscription, and DistroKid passes on what the store pays. To estimate it for your own numbers, use our Streaming Royalty Calculator.
How much does TuneCore pay for 1,000 streams?
The same answer applies: TuneCore passes on what each store pays, so 1,000 streams earn the same as through any other distributor, minus any fee in TuneCore’s terms. On TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, that fee is 20% according to its pricing page.
What each one costs over time
A yearly plan looks cheap until you add the years, and per-release pricing gets expensive if you release often. Enter how often you release and for how long. The calculator adds up DistroKid, both TuneCore options and CD Baby for one artist.
| Option | Total cost |
|---|---|
| DistroKid Musician (yearly plan) | $74.97 |
| TuneCore Rising Artist (yearly plan) | $74.97 |
| CD Baby (one-time fees + share) | $119.88 |
| TuneCore pay per release | $599.76 |
For one artist, with every release kept live until the end of the period. Yearly plans and TuneCore's per-release fees repeat every year; stop paying and the music can come down. CD Baby's fees are paid once, and its royalty share is estimated at 9%, the figure reviews commonly report (CD Baby does not state it on its distribution page).
With the default four singles a year for three years, DistroKid Musician and TuneCore Rising Artist both cost $74.97. TuneCore’s pay-per-release option costs $599.76 for the same releases, because every single is charged again each year it stays live. That is why we would only use pay-per-release for one song you plan to leave up for a short time.
Why are people leaving DistroKid?
We have not surveyed artists, so we cannot tell you anyone’s reasons. What we can point to are the costs on DistroKid’s own pricing page that catch people out: the plan renews every year and your music depends on it, and features many artists expect, such as choosing the release date or setting a label name, sit on the $44.99 Musician Plus plan rather than the $24.99 one. If those matter to you, compare the full price, not the starting price.
What happens if you stop paying?
Both companies sell yearly plans, so your releases depend on the subscription staying active. Before you sign up, read each company’s terms for what happens to your music if a payment fails or you cancel. If you want to pay once and stop thinking about it, a per-release distributor such as CD Baby is the alternative; we compare all three in how to put your music on Spotify.
Our pick by situation
| Your situation | Our pick | Yearly cost |
|---|---|---|
| One artist, wants to pick release dates | TuneCore Rising Artist | $24.99 |
| One artist, releases whenever it is ready | DistroKid Musician or TuneCore Rising Artist | $24.99 |
| Two artist names | DistroKid Musician Plus | $44.99 |
| Wants a custom label name | DistroKid Musician Plus | $44.99 |
| A label or manager with many artists | DistroKid Ultimate or TuneCore Professional | $89.99 or $54.99 plus $14.99 per extra artist |
| One or two songs a year | CD Baby (pay once) | $9.99 per single |
Before you upload
- Have a mastered WAV file ready; see mixing vs mastering and sample rate and bit depth.
- Know the song’s key and tempo. Many pitch forms ask for them, and our Key and BPM Finder reads both from your audio file.
- Agree royalty splits with collaborators in writing. Both distributors can split payments automatically once the shares are set.
- Pitch the song to Spotify’s editors at least 7 days before release, as Spotify recommends.
Sources
- DistroKid pricing: plan prices, artist limits and features.
- TuneCore pricing: plan prices, pay-per-release prices, social platform fee, extra artist profiles.
- CD Baby music distribution: one-time release fees.
