Music distributors – specifications and prices in comparison
There is a huge selection of music distributors who will distribute your songs on common streaming platforms. As large as the selection is, the different pricing models are confusing and it is so complicated to provide the right data. In this article we will give you an overview of the most popular music distributors, their prices and audio specifications.Stand: May 2026
Supply online music distributors correctly
In order to publish your songs in the best possible quality, you have toAudio Specificationsyour distributor (music distributor). Regardless of which oneSpecifications for streaming servicesapply, these can vary from music distributor to music distributor, as the distributor supplies a variety of streaming services.
Sales is thatfinal step to publishing your song, your EP or your album. Up to this point you have produced, recorded, edited,mixed, mastered– in short: a lot of time spent refining your works and getting the best out of them, both artistically and qualitatively.
Thanks to digital reproduction, you can easily upload your songs from your home computer, add covers and information and make them available on numerous streaming platforms and digital music shops with just one click. But the biggest danger lurks in the first step, uploading your track...
Technically, music distributors transmit your tracks, including cover art and metadata, via the industry standard.DDEXto the streaming platforms – that's also where many of their strict specifications come from.
Do you want the best possible sound for your song on all streaming portals?
Audio Specs: Why They Matter
Every music distributor has theirsown audio specifications. You should definitely know or compare these before uploading if you haven't decided on a distributor yet. As A common delivery standard is a WAV file with 44,1 or 48 kbps.kHzand 24bit 44,1 kHz/24-bit remains standard for pure audio streaming, while 48 kHz/24-bit is increasingly recommended (especially for YouTube/video). To ensure the quality of your release, you should upload a WAV file with the resolution required by the distributor. Clear as day.
Some distributors also accept other codecs, for example Mp3 or Flac. These are then often converted into a Wav file in order to be delivered - this doesn't just happen with codecs,but also with resolutions that are not supported. And this is where you lose control, because during the conversionthere may be a loss of qualityall the way to artifacts. If you're lucky, you'll be able to listen and review the track before it's released, or in the worst case, afterward - all extra stress and effort that you can save yourself by checking the audio specs.
Music distributors are the link between mastering output and streaming platforms — how you pass your material through cleanly is regulated by theMastering Guide.
Below we have listed some common music distributors and their audio requirements.
If your music distributor is not listed, you should find the relevant information in the distributor's FAQ. If you can't find what you're looking for there, don't hesitate to ask support directly.
Are you unsure whether your mix works or whether your mastering meets the requirements of the streaming services?
| Distrokid | CD baby | Amused | Tunecore | MusicHub | Recordjet | Reverbnation | Bandcamp |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COSTS & FEES | |||||||||
| registration fee | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
|
| annual fee | starting at $24,99 | None | From $23,99 | starting at $24,99 | €48/year (or €5/month); GEMA members: no subscription fee, still pays a 10% commission. | Premium from €9/year; Basic = one-time payment | Singles from $1/year; Albums from $9/year (Select) or $19,95/year (All, 1st year) | From EUR 0 |
|
| Release fee | None | $14,99 per album/$9,99 per single | None | Optional (pay-per-release): Single $24,99/year, Album $44,99/year (subsequent years $56,49) | None | Basic (one-off): Single €19, EP €29, Album €39; Premium (annual): Single €9, EP €19, Album €29 | None | None |
|
| CONSIGN | None | 9% | Artist: 15% on YouTube Content ID; Artist Plus/Professional: none | 0% on store revenue; 20% deduction on revenue from TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook | 10% from streaming distributions | Basic: 10%; Premium: 0% | None | 10-15% |
|
|
Minimum amountDisbursement | about 6 USD | Individual threshold | 10 USD | individually | €5 minimum withdrawal; withdrawal via bank/PayPal without additional fees | 1 EUR | 5 USD | Payment processor fees (approx. 4–7%) |
|
| DATA DELIVERY | |||||||||
| Audio codecs | Mp3, Wav, Flac, M4A, Flac, Aiff, WMA | Mp3, Wav, Flac | Wav/Flac | Wav, BWF/ADM (Dolby Atmos) | wav | Wav, Flac, BWF/ADM (Dolby Atmos) | wav | Wav, Flac, Aiff |
|
| Bit rate (bit) | 16/24 | 16 | 16/24 | 16/24 | 16/24 | 16-32 | 16 | 16-32 |
|
|
sampling frequency(kHz) | 44,1-96 | 44.1 | 44,1–192 (Hi-Res from Artist Plus) | 44,1/192 | 44.1 | 44,1-192 | 44.1 | 44,1-192 |
|
| Format | stereo | stereo | stereo | Stereo, Dolby Atmos | stereo | Stereo, Dolby Atmos | stereo | stereo |
|
| DELIVERY | |||||||||
|
platformsgesamt | about 150 | about 150 | over 50 shops & streaming platforms | about 150 | 25 | about 300 | 19 (All-Platforms tariff) | 1 (only on Bandcamp) |
|
| Spotify | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| Deezer | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| Apple Music/iTunes | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| YouTube Music | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| Anghami | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ (only with subscription) | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| Amazon Music | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| Tidal | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| iHeartRadio | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| Claro Musica | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
|
| Pandora | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
Music distributors FAQ – Frequently asked questions
How much does music distribution cost?
Prices vary considerably. CD Baby charges per release (approximately $9,99 per single, $14,99 per album), while DistroKid, TuneCore, and Amuse operate with annual fees starting at around $23–25. recordJet's premium plan starts at €9 per year, and MusicHub at €48 per year or €5 per month. You can find the current comparison in the table above.
Which music distributor is the best?
There's no single best provider – it depends on your goals: DistroKid for many releases at a fixed price, CD Baby for a one-time payment without a subscription, TuneCore and Amuse for 100% payout of store revenue, MusicHub for GEMA members. Compare fees, commissions, and audio specifications in the table.
Which music distributor is suitable for GEMA members?
MusicHub (with GEMA as a partner) is tailored to GEMA members: The subscription fee is waived, but a commission of around 10% remains on the streaming payouts.
What is the difference between a music distributor and a streaming service?
A music distributor delivers your song to streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music – as an artist, you generally can't upload your music directly to Spotify. Our article explains the audio specifications required by these platforms.Streaming service specifications.
