11 Insanely Cheap Music Distributors (That Are Quality)

IndieMassive is by artists, for artists. They created IndieMassive to give artists a transparent distribution service. During the years, they used many distributors and found that most either take a % from royalties away from artists, or they have crazy hidden fees. 

With IndieMassive, that’s not an issue anymore. They pride themselves as the transparent distribution option. For just 39.99 USD per year, you can release unlimited music as an artist with no hidden fees or upsells. 

Regarding music distribution in 2022, DistroKid is among the most trusted names in the industry. It's a subscription service, so the only cost is $19.99 (USD) per year.

After that, as long as you're a subscriber, you can upload as much music as you like. As an additional perk, you get to keep all of the net royalties you earn from these services. DistroKid is unique among music distribution services because it allows for automated royalty distribution.

The main drawback to the subscription model is that if you stop paying the annual fee, you lose access to all your previously purchased music.

TuneCore has been around longer than just about any other digital music distribution service, so they come with a solid reputation. With TuneCore, creators can keep all of their money. Their pricing is different from the others we've discussed. Each song or album costs you an annual fee. Thus, the greater your music collection, the higher your yearly costs will be.

Artists with a high number of streams in the past year can apply for a payment advance from TuneCore. Similar to how a record company may assist finance an artist's future album releases, this might help you do the same as an independent musician. They also provide a service called Songwriter Services, designed to help songwriters get paid for their work.

LANDR is a relative newcomer to music distribution compared to the other organizations on this roster. They have been around for quite some time as an automated mastering service in the digital sphere.

One of the best things about LANDR is that their distribution service is free with any paid mastering membership. In other words, if you already pay LANDR'S monthly fee for their other services, you won't have to pay anything extra to have your music distributed.

If you're a new musician looking to expand your fan base and sell your music in more places, RouteNote could be the ideal platform for you to do so. When deciding if a service is a good fit for your needs, you can sign up and check it out to see if it offers what you need.

To compensate for its services, RouteNote takes only 15% of artists' earnings. Still, it also provides a premium plan that involves an upfront payment and allows artists to keep 100% of their royalties. Regarding digital distribution, RouteNote says they have it covered for more than 90%. There is a free base rate, then a 15% royalty cut, and a 20% royalty cut for each additional year.

CD Baby is a leading digital music distributor despite charging a one-time fee, in contrast to the subscription model used by DistroKid. Currently, the price for an album is $29, and a single song is $9.95. After that, your music will be uploaded permanently to all primary streaming services.

CD Baby has the added benefit of physically handling music, which many online music distributors do not offer. The catch is that they deduct a 9% fee from all transactions processed through their platform.

Record Union's pricing structure is unique among the other companies on this list because of its focus on the artist rather than on making a profit. Annual fees are assessed and can change based on a few variables. Second, you can choose from various pricing options that allow you to distribute your music to anywhere from one to six or even all streaming platforms. This will enable you to fine-tune your distribution package for maximum compatibility with each new release.