Top 5 Free Music Distributors in 2026
Nothing in Life is Truly Free
Before we list the services, you need to understand the business model. Running servers and processing metadata costs money. If a distributor doesn't charge you an upfront fee (like DistroKid's annual fee), they are making money in one of two ways:
- Commission: They take 15% of your earnings forever.
- Data/Upsell: They use you to test their "Pro" features or scout you for a label deal.
1. Amuse (Best for 100% Royalties)
The Deal: $0 upfront, keeps 0% of royalties.
The Catch: Speed. The free tier takes 4 weeks to release your music. You cannot choose a specific release date. Support is also very slow.
Verdict: Ideal for hobbyists who don't care about launch dates.
2. RouteNote (Best for Features)
The Deal: $0 upfront, keeps 15% of royalties.
The Pros: Unlike Amuse, RouteNote allows "Cover Songs" on their free tier (though licensing is complex). They also distribute to Asian markets (Tencent, NetEase) better than most US distributors.
The Catch: The 15% commission is high. If you blow up and make $10,000, you just paid them $1,500.
3. SoundOn (Best for TikTok)
The Deal: $0 upfront. Keeps 10% (after year 1).
SoundOn is owned by TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. As you can guess, their integration with TikTok is superior to everyone else alongside exclusive "commercial use" opportunities within the app.
The Catch: You are locking yourself into the ByteDance ecosystem. Payout thresholds can be tricky.
4. Unchained Music (The New Challenger)
The Deal: $0 upfront, keeps 0% of royalties.
Unchained Music is a newer player utilizing Web3 technology to lower server costs, allowing them to offer free distribution without taking a cut. They make money on premium AI tools.
The Catch: Fewer stores than the big players. They focus on the major platforms (Spotify, Apple, Amazon) but skip smaller niche stores.
Comparison Table
| Name | Cost | Commission | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amuse | $0 | 0% | Slow (4w) |
| RouteNote | $0 | 15% | Medium (2w) |
| SoundOn | $0 | 10%* | Fast (1w) |
What Should You Choose?
If you have $20, just use paid alternatives like DistroKid or TuneCore. The support and speed are worth it.
But if your budget is truly $0:
- Use Amuse if you want to keep all your money and are patient.
- Use RouteNote if you need features and cover songs.
- Use SoundOn if you are a TikTok-first creator.