Free music distribution: what "free" really costs in 2026

A free music distributor puts your music on Spotify and the other stores without you paying anything up front. But "free" almost never means no cost: the distributor keeps a share of your royalties, or your music comes down when you stop paying a subscription. This guide explains the three models and when each one pays off.

This guide is by Distroline. The other distributors' figures come from their own official pages, linked alongside, checked on 12 October 2026.

The three pricing models

• Commission: you pay nothing up front and the distributor keeps a percentage of what you earn. That is Distroline's Free plan, which keeps 10%.
• Yearly subscription: you pay every year and keep 100% of streaming royalties. That is the model of DistroKid, TuneCore and Amuse.
• Per release: you pay once per single or album. That is CD Baby, which charges $9.99 per single and $14.99 per album and keeps 9% of digital revenue.

The cost nobody shows: what happens if you stop paying

On a subscription, the low entry price hides a condition. According to DistroKid's help centre, if you do not renew, your music is removed from services, except releases with the paid Leave a Legacy extra. On TuneCore, releases come down from every store 42 days after a missed renewal.

On Distroline's Free plan there is no renewal to miss: your music stays up for as long as you want. If you are on a paid plan and cancel, you move to Free and your music stays in the stores.

When free stops being worth it

The maths is simple. On Free we keep 10% of royalties. Coliseu costs €14.99 a year and keeps 0%. The 10% becomes worth more than €14.99 once your royalties pass €149.90 a year.

• Below €149.90 a year, Free is cheaper.
• Above that, Coliseu is cheaper, and it includes YouTube Content ID.

You can start on Free and switch when your royalties justify it. Your releases do not change and you lose no streams.

Other free options

Other distributors have plans with no up-front cost, such as SoundOn (from TikTok) and ONErpm. The share they keep and their terms change often, and we could not confirm them on their official pages when this guide was written, so check before you sign up.

What to check before you choose

• What percentage the distributor keeps on each kind of income (streaming, YouTube, social platforms).
• What happens to your music if you stop paying or change plan.
• Whether you keep your masters. On Distroline the masters are always yours.
• Which language support answers in when something goes wrong.
• How you get paid. On Distroline, by SEPA bank transfer to an IBAN.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a completely free music distributor?

Free up front, yes. But the distributor has to earn money somehow, usually with a share of your royalties. On Distroline's Free plan that share is 10%.

Does releasing music for free cost me my rights?

It should not. On Distroline you always keep your masters and your metadata; you only give us the licence we need to deliver your music to the stores while it is online.

Can I move from the free plan to a paid one without losing streams?

Yes. Changing plan on Distroline does not touch your releases: the same codes and the same links stay online.

To compare prices and terms side by side, see the best music distributors in 2026. To start, create your free account: no card needed.