There is no “perfect” distributor, only the one that fits your current career stage. DistroKid is built for high-volume release schedules; TuneCore offers a balanced suite for growing professionals; CD Baby is the “set it and forget it” choice for legacy artists; and RouteNote provides a low-barrier entry for those on a tight budget. However, none of these services are designed to collect your full songwriter royalties, meaning that without a publisher, you are only seeing half of your money.
1. The 2025 Comparison Table
| Feature | DistroKid | TuneCore | CD Baby | RouteNote |
| Pricing Model | Annual Subscription | Annual Subscription | One-time Fee | Free or Premium |
| Upfront Cost | ~$25/year (Unlimited) | $15–$50/year (Unlimited) | $9.99/single, $14.99/album | Free ($0) or ~$10+ |
| Commission | 0% (Keep 100%) | 0% (Keep 100%) | 9% Digital Commission | 15% (Free) / 0% (Prem) |
| YouTube CID | Paid Extra ($5/yr + 20% cut) | Included (with 20% cut) | Paid Extra (30% cut) | Included (with 20% cut) |
| If you cancel? | Music is removed* | Music is removed | Music stays live | Music stays live |
| Best For: | High-volume releases | Career growth tools | Low-volume/Legacy | Budget-conscious DIY |
*Unless you pay for the “Leave a Legacy” one-time fee.
2. A Quick Look at the “Big Four”
- DistroKid: Known for its speed and simplicity. It’s perfect if you plan on releasing a new song every month. However, be wary of “add-on” costs for Shazam, YouTube Content ID, and the fee to keep your music online forever.
- TuneCore: A veteran in the space that has modernized its pricing to offer unlimited uploads. They provide more “professional” reporting and artist development tools than DistroKid, but their customer support is strictly email-based.
- CD Baby: Unlike the subscription models, CD Baby charges you once, and your music stays up forever. While they take a 9% cut of your royalties, many artists prefer this over the risk of their catalog being deleted if they forget to pay a yearly subscription.
- RouteNote: A fantastic “ethical” choice for beginners. You can start for free (giving up 15% of your earnings) and then switch to their “Premium” model as your streams grow, allowing you to keep 100% of your revenue.
3. The “Full Paycheck” Problem: What Your Distributor Isn’t Telling You
Choosing the best distributor is important, but here is the truth: Distributors only collect “Master” royalties.
Every time your song is streamed on Spotify, a “Performance” royalty and a “Mechanical” royalty are also generated. Distributors like DistroKid or CD Baby do not have the legal pipes to collect these composition-based funds from international societies.
The Money Gap: If you have 1,000,000 streams on Spotify, your distributor will pay you roughly $4,000 for the recording. But there is another $800 to $1,200 in songwriting royalties generated that your distributor cannot touch. If you don’t have a publishing administrator, that money goes into a “Black Box” and eventually disappears.
4. How Audiobulb Completes the Picture
You should use a distributor to get your music on the shelves, but you need Audiobulb to act as your global collector. We don’t compete with your distributor; we finish the work they leave behind.
- We Collect the “Missing” Half: Audiobulb registers your songs with global entities (The MLC, PRS, IPRS, etc.) to collect your performance and mechanical royalties that distributors ignore.
- Flat Fee ($19.99/year): While some distributors offer “Publishing” as an expensive add-on with a 15–20% commission, Audiobulb takes 0% commission. You keep every cent.
- Active Usage Tracking: Distributors are “passive”—they wait for reports to come in. Audiobulb is active. Our technology scans the internet for unauthorized use or missed tracking, so you get paid for every single spin.
- Total Ownership: Your distributor handles the file; we handle the right. You keep 100% ownership of both.
Summary
DistroKid is fast, CD Baby is permanent, and TuneCore is comprehensive. Pick the one that fits your release schedule. But once your music is live, don’t let the “Black Box” eat your songwriting revenue.
Your Next Step: Did you just upload a new release? Join Audiobulb for $19.99/year and let us capture the global publishing royalties your distributor is missing. We take zero commission, so you finally get 100% of your total earnings.