To put your music on Spotify, you upload it through a music distributor, which delivers it to Spotify and other streaming services and pays you your royalties. Independent artists cannot upload songs to Spotify directly. The best-known distributors are DistroKid, TuneCore and CD Baby, and they charge either a yearly fee or a one-off fee per release.
Distributors compared
| Distributor | Price (USD) | How you pay | Royalties |
|---|---|---|---|
| DistroKid | $24.99, $44.99 or $89.99 a year | Yearly plan, unlimited releases | “Keep 100% of earnings” |
| TuneCore | $24.99, $44.99 or $54.99 a year, or per release | Yearly plan or pay per release | See TuneCore’s terms; 20% fee on social platform earnings |
| CD Baby | $9.99 per single, $14.99 per album | One-off fee, no yearly fee | CD Baby keeps a share; reviews commonly report 9% |
Prices come from DistroKid, TuneCore and CD Baby. Prices and terms change, so check each site before you sign up.
DistroKid
DistroKid’s plans are Musician at $24.99 a year for one artist, Musician Plus at $44.99 a year for two artists, and Ultimate at $89.99 a year for up to 100 artists. Each plan lets you release as much as you like, and DistroKid says you “keep 100% of earnings”. The catch with any yearly plan: stop paying and your music can be taken down, so budget for it every year.
TuneCore
TuneCore offers yearly plans called Rising Artist ($24.99), Breakout Artist ($44.99) and Professional ($54.99), and also lets you pay per release: $24.99 a year for a single, or $44.99 for the first year of an album and $56.49 each year after. Its pricing page notes a 20% fee on earnings from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
CD Baby
CD Baby charges once per release: $9.99 for a single and $14.99 for an album, with no yearly fee. Instead of a subscription, CD Baby keeps a share of your royalties. Its distribution page does not state the percentage; third-party reviews commonly report 9%, so check CD Baby’s current terms.
Which is cheapest for you?
It depends on how often you release. Here is the maths for one artist over one year, using the prices above:
- One single a year: CD Baby costs $9.99 once, DistroKid $24.99. CD Baby is cheaper upfront, but takes a share of royalties.
- Four singles a year: CD Baby is 4 × $9.99 = $39.96. DistroKid’s basic plan is still $24.99 for all of them.
- Many releases: a yearly plan almost always works out cheapest, because the price does not grow with each song.
Over several years the picture changes again: a yearly plan keeps charging, while a CD Baby release fee is paid once. If you release rarely and want to pay once, a per-release option suits you. If you release often, a yearly plan does.
Step by step: releasing a song on Spotify
- Finish the song. Mix and master it first; see mixing vs mastering. Spotify normalises loudness, so there is no need to master extremely loud.
- Export a high-quality file. Most distributors ask for a WAV file. A 16-bit or 24-bit WAV at 44.1 kHz is widely accepted; see sample rate and bit depth.
- Make the artwork. Square, high resolution, with no website addresses or social handles on it. Follow your distributor’s size rules exactly, or the release can be rejected.
- Choose a release date at least two to three weeks away. That gives the distributor time to deliver and you time to pitch.
- Upload to your distributor. Enter the song title, artist name, songwriter credits and genre carefully. Spelling mistakes are hard to fix after release.
- Claim your Spotify for Artists profile once your music is delivered, so you can edit your profile and see your stats.
- Pitch the song. Spotify says to pitch an unreleased song in Spotify for Artists at least 7 days before release, which also adds it to your followers’ Release Radar playlists. You can pitch one song at a time.
Before you release: get the details right
- Samples and beats. Make sure you have the rights to any samples, and that your beat licence allows streaming. See beat leases vs exclusive rights.
- Splits. If you wrote the song with others, agree on how royalties are split, in writing, before release.
- A unique title. Search the title on Spotify first. Our Song Title Generator can help if yours is taken.
How much will you earn?
Spotify does not pay a fixed amount per stream. Earnings depend on where listeners are, the type of subscription they have, and your distributor’s terms. For a rough estimate, try our Streaming Royalty Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload music to Spotify for free?
Independent artists cannot upload directly to Spotify, so you need a distributor. The three covered here all charge a fee, either yearly or per release.
How long does it take to get music on Spotify?
Delivery times vary by distributor. Set a release date at least two to three weeks ahead so the song is delivered in time and you can pitch it to Spotify at least 7 days before release.
Which distributor is best for a beginner?
If you plan to release often, a yearly plan such as DistroKid’s Musician plan is usually cheapest. If you release one song now and then, a pay-once option such as CD Baby avoids yearly fees, in exchange for a share of royalties.
Do I keep the rights to my music?
With these distributors you generally keep ownership of your recordings, but read each one’s terms before you sign up. This is general information, not legal advice.
Still making the song? Start with how to make a beat or how to record vocals at home.
