Music Distributor Comparison (2026): What Happens to Your Songs When You Stop Paying

Most distributor comparisons line up entry prices, and the cheapest annual plans land within $6 of each other. This one adds the column most charts leave out: what happens to your catalog if you stop paying.

We read the pricing pages and help-center articles of eight distributors on November 1, 2026 and recorded, for each one, the price, the cut it takes from streaming royalties, and its published policy for a lapsed or cancelled plan. Every cell links to the page it came from. The full dataset is at the end as a CSV, free to reuse with a link back, and a calculator below runs the numbers for your own release schedule.

Short version: if you stop paying, DistroKid, TuneCore and UnitedMasters take your releases down (DistroKid sells per-release protection first). Ditto says releases on its Starter plan are "at risk of removal" and you can't withdraw royalties without an active plan. Amuse and LANDR keep your music live and start taking a commission (25% and 15%). CD Baby and RouteNote Free have no recurring fee to miss.

The dataset: 8 distributors, checked November 1, 2026#

Seven of the eight are in Spotify's provider directory, the list of distributors Spotify says meet its delivery standards: DistroKid, TuneCore, Amuse, LANDR, CD Baby and RouteNote with the "preferred" mark, Ditto Music without it. UnitedMasters isn't listed. Preferred providers give instant Spotify for Artists access.

What we couldn't confirm#

• Ditto's Starter price. Ditto's pricing page showed us two numbers on the same day: $14 a year in the plan cards and "$19 p/y" in its own comparison table lower on the page, and an earlier automated read of the page returned $19. We use $19, the one that appears in both reads; the $14 looks like a promotion.
• Ditto's Release Protection price for Starter users isn't shown on the pricing page or the help article we checked.
• Ditto's royalty cut after you stop paying isn't stated. Its help center only says you can't withdraw without an active subscription.
• TuneCore's cut of store royalties. Neither the pricing page nor the "How much does TuneCore cost?" help article states a percentage for streaming; the only fee shown is 20% on earnings from TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. We also found no paid option to keep releases live after cancelling.
• The base of "100%". Several distributors say you keep 100% of royalties, while Amuse adds "after currency conversion and service fees" and RouteNote's 85% is of "the net revenue we receive". We didn't find a common definition of the base amount across all eight.

Prices are list prices before tax for the cheapest plan that distributes to Spotify. TuneCore says a first-year discount doesn't apply to renewals, and LANDR says you lose a discounted rate if you cancel (TuneCore, LANDR).

Five-year cost for an artist who releases four singles a year#

Here's what 20 singles over five years cost in fees alone, using only the prices above. Commissions come on top and depend on what you earn, so they're shown separately.

Over five years the six annual plans end up within $30 of each other. The bigger differences show up when you leave, in the next table.

The exit bill after those five years#

Same artist, 20 singles live, deciding to stop paying in year six:

The $580 figure is arithmetic on DistroKid's published prices, not a quote. If some of your 20 releases are albums, those cost $49 each instead of $29.

Free tool: distributor exit-cost calculator#

Set how many singles and albums you release a year, how long you plan to stay, and, if you know it, what you earn in streaming royalties a year. The calculator lists the eight distributors from cheapest to most expensive, with fees, commission and what it costs to keep every release up if you stop paying, each with its source. It uses the dataset above and nothing else, so when a distributor changes a price the calculator is wrong until we re-check; it says when the data is older than 90 days.

Commission or flat fee: the break-even point#

A commission costs less than a flat fee until your royalties pass a certain point. Using the published numbers:

• RouteNote Free (15%) vs. a $24.99-a-year plan: 0.15 × royalties = $24.99 when royalties reach $166.60 a year. Below that, the commission costs less. This ignores extras and assumes the two pay out on the same base, which we couldn't confirm.
• CD Baby, one single a year (9% + $9.99) vs. $24.99 a year: $9.99 + 0.09 × royalties = $24.99 at $166.67 a year in royalties.
• CD Baby, two singles a year: $19.98 + 0.09 × royalties = $24.99 at $55.67 a year.
• CD Baby, four singles a year: $39.96 in fees already exceeds $24.99 before any commission, so a $24.99-a-year plan costs less at every income level.

To see your own royalties, check your distributor's earnings report for the last 12 months.

How to leave without losing your streams#

Leaving the right way means the new copy goes live before the old one comes down. Spotify links a re-delivered track to the original, so play counts and playlist spots carry over, when the two match on audio, duration, track title, artist names and ISRC. Symphonic's help desk describes the process and notes that track linking "is never 100% guaranteed."

1. Export your catalog data from the old distributor: ISRCs, UPCs, exact titles, credits and release dates. If you're not sure what an ISRC is, see what an ISRC code is.
2. Upload the same audio and metadata to the new distributor with the original ISRCs and UPCs. Symphonic asks for delivery at least 5 business days before the live date.
3. Wait until both versions are live and the play counts match.
4. Request the takedown at the old distributor, then cancel. Don't let a failed card do the removing: at TuneCore a takedown is final and the release has to go out again with a new UPC.
5. Keep your old login until the last royalties arrive. UnitedMasters says platforms pay 45 to 60 days after the month the streams happen, so payments can trail for two or three months (UnitedMasters). Ditto says some stores report up to a year after a takedown (Ditto).

Amuse says its Release Importer keeps stream counts and playlist placements when you move a catalog in (Amuse). We didn't test any importer.

Which distributor fits which artist#

From the data above:

• You release often and plan to keep paying: the annual plans (DistroKid, TuneCore, Amuse, LANDR, UnitedMasters, Ditto) cost about the same. Compare the exit policy, since that's where they differ.
• You release once or twice a year and want music up for good without a subscription: CD Baby's one-time fee, with 9% for as long as the music is up.
• You don't want to pay anything yet: RouteNote Free, at 15%.
• You might stop paying someday: Amuse and LANDR keep music live with a commission, and CD Baby has nothing to lapse. At DistroKid, budget for Leave a Legacy on the releases you want to keep.

Whichever you pick, the distributor gets your music into stores. Fans still need a place to hear about the next release. A release page with your links and an email sign-up stays yours even if you change distributors: see how to build a music release landing page and the music release checklist. For the full upload walkthrough, read how to release music on Spotify.

Where does Loud fit?#

Loud isn't a distributor and doesn't take a cut of anything: your distributor delivers the music and pays you. We make Loud, which builds your website and link in bio from your Spotify and keeps them up to date with every release, with a page for each song and a fan list that is yours to export. If you switch distributors, the pages and the list stay the same, because they're built on your music, not on who delivers it.

FAQ#

What happens to my music if I stop paying DistroKid?

DistroKid says your releases "may be removed" from stores. You can still log in and you still get earnings owed. If the past-due charge later goes through, removed releases come back automatically. Releases with Leave a Legacy ($29 per single, $49 per album, one-time) stay up after cancellation (DistroKid).

Does TuneCore remove my music if I don't renew?

Yes. After a failed renewal TuneCore sends reminders every 7 days for 35 days and takes releases down after 42 days. If you cancel, they come down the day the plan expires, with no grace period (TuneCore).

Which music distributors keep your music up after you cancel?

Of the eight checked on November 1, 2026: Amuse (with a 25% commission), LANDR (15%), CD Baby (no recurring fee) and RouteNote Free (no fee, 15%). At DistroKid, only releases with Leave a Legacy. At Ditto, releases with Release Protection.

What is the cheapest music distributor?

On fees alone, RouteNote Free costs $0 and takes 15%. The cheapest annual plan we found was Ditto Starter at $19 a year ($14 in a promotion showing the day we checked). Which one costs less overall depends on how much you earn; see the break-even section above.

Do music distributors take a percentage of royalties?

Some do. CD Baby takes 9% of download and streaming revenue, RouteNote Free takes 15%, and Amuse and LANDR start taking 25% and 15% when you stop paying. DistroKid, UnitedMasters and Ditto say you keep 100% of streaming royalties on their paid plans, TuneCore doesn't state a streaming percentage, and extras like social or YouTube monetization can carry fees everywhere.

Can I switch distributors without losing streams?

Usually, if the new copy has the same audio, duration, titles, artist names and ISRC, and you wait until both versions are live before taking the old one down. Spotify's track linking isn't guaranteed (Symphonic).

Download the data#

Download the dataset as CSV, one row per plan with its sources. Free to reuse with a link to this page. Prices in USD, checked November 1, 2026. The calculator above downloads the same file.

To reproduce it, open each source URL and read the price and the cancellation policy. If a distributor changes a policy, the date at the top of this page tells you how old our copy is.

Sources (checked November 1, 2026)#

• DistroKid, Pricing: https://distrokid.com/pricing
• DistroKid Help Center, What Happens If I Stop Paying the Annual Fee?: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013535494-What-Happens-If-I-Stop-Paying-the-Annual-Fee
• DistroKid Help Center, What Are Album Extras?: https://support.distrokid.com/hc/en-us/articles/360013534274-What-Are-Album-Extras
• TuneCore, Pricing: https://www.tunecore.com/pricing
• TuneCore, How much does TuneCore cost?: https://support.tunecore.com/hc/en-us/articles/115006503487-How-much-does-TuneCore-cost
• TuneCore, Renewing Your TuneCore Unlimited Plan: https://support.tunecore.com/hc/en-us/articles/13805351236884-Renewing-Your-TuneCore-Unlimited-Plan
• TuneCore, Why has my music been removed from stores?: https://support.tunecore.com/hc/en-us/articles/115006689408-Why-has-my-music-been-removed-from-stores
• UnitedMasters, Pricing & Plans: https://unitedmasters.com/en/pricing
• UnitedMasters, What happens to my releases if I move to a different membership plan?: https://support.unitedmasters.com/hc/en-us/articles/29984344461075-What-happens-to-my-releases-if-I-move-to-a-different-membership-plan
• UnitedMasters, DEBUT Sunset, October 2025: https://support.unitedmasters.com/hc/en-us/articles/44781889476115-DEBUT-Sunset-October-2025
• Ditto Music, Pricing: https://dittomusic.com/en/pricing
• Ditto Music Support, What happens if I stop paying my subscription?: https://support.dittomusic.com/en/articles/4424727-what-happens-if-i-stop-paying-my-subscription
• Ditto Music Support, What is Release Protection?: https://support.dittomusic.com/en/articles/8778603-what-is-release-protection
• Ditto Music Support, How do I delete my Ditto Music account & cancel my subscription?: https://support.dittomusic.com/en/articles/4424726-how-do-i-delete-my-ditto-music-account-cancel-my-subscription
• Amuse, Plans & Pricing: https://www.amuse.io/en/release/pricing
• LANDR, How much does it cost to distribute music with LANDR?: https://support.landr.com/hc/en-us/articles/31618416509975-How-much-does-it-cost-to-distribute-music-with-LANDR
• LANDR, How does LANDR Distribution work?: https://support.landr.com/hc/en-us/articles/31618026457239-How-does-LANDR-Distribution-work
• LANDR, How do I cancel my subscription?: https://support.landr.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009783248-How-do-I-cancel-my-subscription
• CD Baby Help Center, How much does CD Baby cost?: https://support.cdbaby.com/hc/en-us/articles/213125406-How-much-does-CD-Baby-cost
• CD Baby, Music Distribution for Independent Artists: https://cdbaby.com/music-distribution/
• RouteNote Support Hub, How much does RouteNote cost?: https://support.routenote.com/kb-article/how-much-does-routenote-cost/
• Spotify for Artists, Provider Directory: https://artists.spotify.com/en/providers
• Symphonic Help Desk, Retaining Spotify Streams and Playlist Placements: https://support.symdistro.com/hc/en-us/articles/360023115831-Retaining-Spotify-Streams-and-Playlist-Placements