If you’re an independent artist navigating the digital music industry, making your music readily available across every major music platform is no longer just an option - it’s a necessity. Especially if you’re ready to start making a sustainable career and income from your tunes.
But with so many music distribution options out there, it can be hard knowing where to start. Here’s what you need to know.
For most independent artists, the best value is a flat yearly plan where you keep 100% of your royalties. Ditto Music is the cheapest of the five biggest distributors at $19 a year, compared with $19.99 for UnitedMasters, $23.99 for Amuse and $24.99 each for DistroKid and TuneCore. It also includes promotion tools in that price.
Why we rank Ditto first
Here’s how Ditto compares on the things that matter most.
- Lowest price of the big five: $19 a year for unlimited releases. UnitedMasters is $19.99, Amuse $23.99, and DistroKid and TuneCore are $24.99 each.
- 100% of your streaming royalties: on every plan, with no commission on streams.
- Promotion included on the $19 plan: free pre-save smartlinks, playlist submissions, instant Spotify verification, analytics and automatic royalty splits.
- One upgrade adds more income streams: Ditto Pro adds sync pitching for TV and film, publishing royalty collection and YouTube Content ID. Elsewhere, these are usually a separate product, an add-on or a higher tier.
- Room to grow: the Labels plan covers 3 to 5 artists, with higher tiers for bigger rosters.
Chapters
1. Ditto Music
2. Tunecore
3. CD Baby
4. United Masters
5. Distrokid
6. Amuse
7. ONErpm
8. Horus Music
9. Landr
10. EmuBands
11. Symphonic
12. Record Union
13. RouteNote
14. OFFstep
15. Too Lost
16. AWAL
What is music distribution?
Music distribution is all about getting your music out into the world, and more importantly, into the ears of potential new listeners - all while getting paid. But getting your music heard in an oversaturated market can be difficult, especially for artists who are just starting out.
It’s essential you work with a distributor who provides all the tools you need to get heard, and for a fair price (and doesn’t take a sneaky slice of your royalties in the process).
For that reason, switching music distributor or choosing the right music distributor to get your music on Spotify, Apple Music and everywhere else is one of the most important decisions ANY new artist will make. When comparing distributors, look at:
- How you pay: a yearly subscription, a one-off fee per release, or a share of your earnings.
- What they take: some pass on 100% of your streaming royalties, while others keep a percentage.
- What happens if you stop paying: some take your music down, and others keep it live but take a bigger cut.
- What’s included: extras like pre-save links, playlist pitching, YouTube Content ID, publishing and sync.
The best music distribution companies in 2026
With the ever-growing number of distribution services on the market, making the right choice can feel overwhelming.
At Ditto, our goal is to support and empower independent artists at every stage in their careers. We give you the best value for money, a range of useful added features & more genuine future career prospects than any other distributor on the market - all while letting you make money from music and keep EVERYTHING you earn in royalties.
But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s a list of the biggest global music distributors and the deals they offer to artists, so you can make an informed decision about who to distribute YOUR music with.
1. Ditto Music
$19 a year for unlimited releases to 150+ platforms makes Ditto the cheapest of the big five distributors and the most effective way to distribute your music online. Plus you’ll keep 100% of your rights & royalties.
We’ve got a huge variety of additional services and tools to help push your music out - including free pre-save links, promotion, publishing, sync placements, playlisting, royalty splits, lyric uploads & more. Artists also have the opportunity to get upstreamed and signed to our label and artist management services, which has already seen an impressive roster of global talent.
Everything you need to release is included for $19 a year, from pre-save links and playlist submissions to instant Spotify verification and royalty splits. When you’re ready to earn from sync and publishing too, you can upgrade to Ditto Pro at any time.
With over 15 years in the industry, Ditto’s independent ethos still remains at the heart of the company. And we’re on-hand 24/7 to provide artists with support.
2. Tunecore
Plans priced at $24.99 a year (rising to $44.99 and $54.99 for higher tiers), or $24.99 per single and $44.99 per album, make TuneCore one of the pricier distributors on our list. Not forgetting those per-release fees renew every year.
Artists keep 100% of the profits they earn from their sales and streaming revenue, but TuneCore takes 20% of earnings from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, so you’ll want to really consider whether the costs are worth it.
TuneCore’s cheapest plan also leaves out a custom label name, which is only available on the Professional plan, and customer support can take up to 3 business days to respond. That makes it more difficult for artists who wish to process their own releases.
3. CD Baby
CD Baby currently distributes to over 150 online stores. Releases are limited and with fees required per release, as opposed to a recurring annual cost. Singles are currently priced at $9.99 and albums at $14.99, making CD Baby cheaper than TuneCore upfront, but that 9% commission adds up over time.
Perhaps what’s most apparent is CD Baby’s 9% commission take on ALL releases. It also keeps 30% of what you earn from YouTube, TikTok and Meta, and 40% of any sync placements.
4. United Masters
UnitedMasters offers unlimited releases to 150+ stores (Spotify, Apple Music and all the usual big players) on its DEBUT+ plan for $19.99 per year, just above Ditto’s $19. Its SELECT plan costs $59.99 per year and adds sync opportunities and advanced analytics.
You’ll keep 100% of your royalties on both paid plans, but beware! Sync opportunities are only available on the more expensive SELECT plan, and UnitedMasters charges processing fees when you cash out your earnings.
5. Distrokid
Distrokid distributes to 150+ online music streaming services and stores for a yearly subscription fee of $24.99 for one artist ($44.99 for two), with artists keeping all of their royalties.
DistroKid’s better analytics are locked behind its pricier plans. Daily streaming stats need Musician Plus ($44.99 a year), and advanced analytics need Ultimate ($89.99 a year), so on the basic plan it can be harder to find out how your music is performing.
Also be wary of extra costs. Features like custom release dates and a custom label name need Musician Plus ($44.99 a year). Check out our best DistroKid alternatives guide to compare which distributor best suits your needs.
6. Amuse
Amuse’s plans currently start at $23.99 a year for one artist, rising to $39.99 for two artists and $59.99 for three or more. Features include unlimited releases, royalty splits and 100% of royalties paid to the artist.
Watch out for fees on the cheapest plan, though. Amuse’s Artist plan takes 15% of your YouTube Content ID earnings, and 15% when you split royalties with collaborators who don’t have their own subscription. Store Sync also costs an extra $9.99 per release.
7. ONErpm
Although it’s free to distribute your music via ONErpm, you’ll pay the price in the form of a 15% revenue commission fee from any profits earned from streaming, sales & downloads of your music (rising to 30% for YouTube and 50% for other video).
You’ll have to decide whether the $0 release fee is worth losing 15% or more of everything your music earns, for as long as it’s live. Once your music starts earning, a flat yearly fee usually works out cheaper.
8. Horus Music
Horus Music offers unlimited uploads to 100+ stores for artists looking to release content on a regular basis at £20 a year, with artists receiving 100% of their royalty revenue.
They’ve been around since 2006, and their plan includes UK chart registration and editorial playlist pitching. However, with distribution to 100+ stores, Horus reaches fewer platforms than Ditto’s 150+.
9. Landr
At a glance, LANDR offers artists unlimited music distribution to all major music platforms with a subscription starting from around $24 a year, bundled with its mastering tools.
You’ll keep 100% of your royalties while you’re subscribed, but cancel and LANDR takes a 15% commission on everything your music earns from then on, the same cut as ONErpm. LANDR also started out as a mastering company, only launching distribution in 2017, so distribution is a newer part of its business.
10. EmuBands
Releasing your music with EmuBands works out at $20 per single, $40 for a bundle of 2–20 tracks, or $120 per year for unlimited releases for up to 5 artists, putting it towards the bottom of our list in terms of affordability.
Artists do retain 100% of their royalties and gain access to industry features such as YouTube Content ID on the Premium plan, but will have to fork out more for their subscription each year than they would with Ditto. The choice is clear to us.
11. Symphonic
Symphonic’s self-serve Starter plan costs $29.99 a year for one artist, making it more expensive than Ditto’s $19. Unlimited releases for multiple artists are only available on its Partner plan, which requires artists to apply and get ‘accepted’ first.
Starter users keep 100% of their streaming royalties, but Symphonic charges a separate, unpublished percentage to collect earnings from YouTube, Meta and TikTok. Partner deals are free to join but run on a custom revenue share, so you’ll be giving up a cut of your royalties in exchange for its label-style support.
12. Record Union
With prices starting at $14 per year for a single release of 1–2 tracks, rising to $54 depending on the release, Record Union charges for every release separately, so costs add up quickly if you release often.
It’s worth noting that Record Union’s store list is far less extensive than other distributors, with its Core plan sending your music to 20+ platforms and charging $2 a year for each extra store. Compare that with 150+ platforms included with Ditto.
13. RouteNote
RouteNote is another company that offers music distribution services, with multiple subscription options. Although RouteNote offers a free service option to musicians, this option only lets you keep 85% of your royalties.
To keep 100% (the standard across all Ditto subs), you’ll pay RouteNote Premium’s upfront fee of $10 for a single up to $45 for an extended album, plus $9.99 a year for every release you want to keep on Premium. Release often and those fees soon add up past Ditto’s $19 a year for unlimited releases.
14. OFFstep
Next up is newcomer OFFstep. Launched by ONErpm in 2023, OFFstep allows artists to upload and distribute unlimited tracks to major streaming platforms from $1.50 a month. Although OFFstep also lets artists keep 100% of their royalties, the service lacks some of the key benefits that Ditto artists receive, including sync, publishing and mastering services.
Check out our Ditto Music vs OFFstep guide to discover all of the key differences between our services and learn why Ditto is the obvious choice for those serious about success.
15. Too Lost
Too Lost offers unlimited releases to stores and platforms for $19.99 a year for one artist, just above Ditto’s $19, with artists keeping 100% of their royalties. Its Label plan covers unlimited artists for $35.99 a year, and both plans include publishing administration and YouTube Content ID.
Be aware that if you cancel but leave your releases live, Too Lost only pays out 85% of your royalties from then on. Check out our Ditto Music vs Too Lost guide to see how the two compare.
16. AWAL
Rounding off our list is AWAL, which works differently to every other distributor here. Instead of signing up and releasing straight away, artists have to apply, and AWAL only partners with a select group of artists who already have some traction.
Accepted artists get label-style support, including playlisting, marketing, radio, sync and funding, with no upfront fee. In return, AWAL takes a share of your royalties and doesn’t publish the rate. For most independent artists who want to release on their own terms today, a self-serve distributor like Ditto is the faster route.
Music distribution FAQs
What is the best music distribution service in 2026?
For most independent artists, the best value is a flat yearly plan where you keep 100% of your royalties. Ditto Music is the cheapest of the big five at $19 a year, and includes promotion tools such as pre-save links, playlist submissions and instant Spotify verification.
Which music distributors are best for a low annual fee?
Ditto ($19), UnitedMasters ($19.99), Too Lost ($19.99), Amuse ($23.99), DistroKid ($24.99) and TuneCore ($24.99) have the lowest yearly plans for one artist. Horus Music costs £20 a year, and OFFstep starts at $1.50 a month.
What’s the best music distributor for someone starting out?
A low yearly plan with unlimited releases, like Ditto’s at $19 a year, lets you release as often as you like without paying per song. Free options like RouteNote cost nothing upfront but take 15% of your earnings.
Can I keep 100% of my royalties?
Yes. Ditto, DistroKid, Amuse, UnitedMasters, Too Lost, OFFstep and EmuBands all pass on 100% of your streaming royalties. TuneCore does too on store income, as do LANDR while you’re subscribed, Symphonic’s Starter plan and RouteNote Premium.
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