The Battle of Ideologies

Choosing a music distributor is the first major business decision an independent artist makes. In 2026, the market is crowded, but it still boils down to two giants with opposing philosophies:

• DistroKid: The "Subscription" Model. Pay one fee, upload everything. Fast, cheap, and disposable.
• CD Baby: The "Legacy" Model. Pay per release, keep it up forever. Slower, more expensive upfront, but stable.

Which one is right for you? The answer depends entirely on Volume and Collaboration.

1. Pricing: The "Rent" vs. "Buy" Debate

This is where the biggest difference lies. You need to do the math based on your release schedule.

DistroKid: Renting Your Catalogs

DistroKid charges $22.99/year (Musician Plan) or $39.99/year (Musician Plus). This allows for unlimited uploads. However, if you stop paying this annual bill, your music is removed from Spotify. It is essentially "renting" shelf space.

CD Baby: Buying Your Shelf Space

CD Baby charges roughly $9.99 per Single or $29.99 per Album (prices vary by promotion tier). Once you pay this, you never have to pay again. Your music stays up forever, even if you die or quit music.

2. Royalties & Commission

How much of your hard-earned money do they keep?

• DistroKid: Keeps 0%. You get 100% of your royalties.
• CD Baby: Keeps 9%. You get 91% of your royalties.

At first glance, DistroKid looks like the clear winner. But wait. If you are a small artist earning $10/year in royalties, giving up 9% ($0.90) to CD Baby is cheaper than paying DistroKid's $22.99 annual fee.

However, once you start hitting 100,000+ streams, that 9% commission becomes massive. If you earn $10,000, CD Baby takes $900. DistroKid still only costs you $22.99. For successful artists, DistroKid's model is mathematically superior.

3. Speed & Features

Speed to Stores

DistroKid is the fastest distributor in the world, period. Your song can be on Spotify in 24-48 hours. They have direct pipes and automation that CD Baby lacks.

CD Baby has a rigorous manual review process. It often takes 1-2 weeks for your music to go live. While frustrating, this manual review protects you from copyright strikes.

Payment Splitting

This is DistroKid's "Killer Feature." If you collaborate with another producer, DistroKid can automatically split the royalties (e.g., 50/50) and send the money to each person directly. CD Baby does not support automatic payment splitting. If you have collaborators, CD Baby forces YOU to be the accountant, collecting the money and trying to pay your friends via PayPal.

4. Customer Support

Let's be honest: Both are struggling in 2026, but in different ways.

DistroKid relies heavily on AI automation (the infamous "Dave" bot). Reaching a human is difficult unless you know the specific tricks (see our DistroKid Support Guide). However, their automation means fewer errors happen in the first place.

CD Baby offers phone support (sometimes) and email support with real humans, but they are often overwhelmed and slow to respond. Their system is older and more prone to "human error" during the manual review process.

Final Recommendation

Choose DistroKid If:

• You are a Hip-Hop, Pop, or Electronic artist releasing signals often.
• You collaborate with others and need automated royalty splits.
• You want 100% of your potential viral earnings.
• You want to see your music live ASAP.

Choose CD Baby If:

• You are a legacy artist (Jazz, Classical, Folk) releasing one masterpiece every few years.
• You want to "Set it and Forget it" and not worry about annual credit card renewals.
• You perform cover songs extensively (CD Baby's cover licensing is slightly more robust for albums).