Tunecore, Distrokid, or CD Baby: Which is Better?

Adam breaks down the pros and cons of the "big 3" distribution companies. Having used each platform extensively, Adam covers the general cost of each platform, how each platform makes money (because they're all making money on YOU), whether they collect mechanical royalties or not (some plans don't!), whether they collect royalties for covers (some don't!), options for publishing (PROs) and opportunities for sync, buying licenses for covers, and the "bells and whistles" of each platform (promotion, spotify presave, artist verification check marks etc).
This is a must-listen for anyone looking to release music and looking for the right path.
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Interested in hearing music made by our awesome guests? Check out this Spotify playlist, which includes music by all our music-making guests! open.spotify.com/playlist/63k...
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Intro/Outro music "Far Away From here" : adammeckler.hearnow.com/

[@ButterflyLullabyLtd]

Thank you for this. Very useful.

[@tammyleonardmusic9800]

Thanks Adam. Very helpful. Just getting my ducks in a row for releasing singles, followed by albums. I've been writing lyrics for years, and now, with a break from band action, getting down to releasing recordings. I want to do it right, but soooo many steps and options. You've made the process far less intimidating. Appreciate your help. Have a great year!

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

Thanks, Tammy. Good luck with your upcoming releases!

[@LeeBlaske]

Good video. I like CD Baby. One consideration for older people, like me... If you go with a company that doesn't charge recurring fees, if you drop dead tomorrow (not planning on it, but it could happen ;) ), your music will still be out there. I don't know how important my music is in the cosmic scheme, but it's nice to know it'll be there for awhile. I believe there's some sort of legacy consideration on other platforms, but I haven't investigated it thoroughly.

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

Distro has a legacy option, but it's expensive. I've been using Distrokid for a run of 17 singles in 17 weeks I've been doing, but that was before I knew I could have the MLC collect royalties. I was thinking I'd have to pay $50 per single on CD Baby to get royalties collected when I could have just done the 9.99 option. Live and learn.

[@LeeBlaske]

@@HowMusiciansMakeIt It'll be interesting to see how all of these services change and evolve over time. Nothing is set in stone. I wonder if in the future, we'll continue to have a lot of options from a range of companies, or if one or two will become so dominant, that others can't compete.

[@ButterflyLullabyLtd]

I totally agree. I like that option too with CD baby. The thought of going through time and money to upload songs and have them taken down if you cannot afford the yearly subscription etc just does not sit well with me.

[@Starrysofficial]

Loved This!!! Need More ....

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

Thanks! More coming soon!

[@Soundivad]

Very helpfull, thank you for this video

[@AdamMeckler]

Thanks so much, glad you found it to be helpful!

[@Makinana91]

I like CD baby and Landr with their new pay per release plans which are suitable for record labels to release multiple artists album. My only with CD baby is that no split payment options

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

I’m not familiar with Landr - will check it out!

[@unggoysolid4363]

14:30 dstrokd colab 19:10 cdb

[@kalehalen]

What's your take on Symphonic? I had great experience about 10 years ago and looking at comparisons again

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

Unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with Symphonic so I can’t speak on it. I’ll look into it!

[@tuckerdawson]

I think that you still get paid for your streaming royalties for CD Baby. They just don’t include the publishing option. If you aren’t making enough yet, it’s not even worth it for the publishing option. But you still get paid for your Streaming royalties on CD baby for that ten buck option. I think people may get the wrong idea with how you were describing that. But love this video anyways!!

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

Yeah I guess I was confused reading about the 9.99 option. I went back and read all over their website after you commented this, and this is still not clear in how they lay things out. Probably because they want people to pop for that publishing option. I deal with ASCAP separately myself, so the publishing option doesn't make a lot of sense for me. Thanks for watching, and thanks for the correction!

[@nataliemeenakshithegreat7780]

Firstly thank you new in this digital cd baby sounds like a good option for me I still don’t know tunecore sounds scary

[@NoendoMusic]

Please i am from Nigeria. Help me out. Between CD Baby and Tunecore which one will pay me without any problem. And also i heard that CD baby only collects royalties of the song you release with them. If someone feature you in their own song and release with their own different different distributor and do spliting royalties. CD Baby will not get that royalty from the song for you. For covers Soundrop is the best

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

In terms of what the best platform is for someone from Nigeria, I’m sorry but I do not know. You’re right about collab collection. Distrokid will pay out different users/collaborators automatically, but most won’t.

[@NoendoMusic]

Okay. Thank you so much.

[@nikhilghatnekar]

My question, I prefer cheaper models for the initial years of my releases, say first 2 or 3 years, and so distrokid or tunecore sounds good , fixed price. But later if i plan on releasing lesser songs and try to go with CDBaby, will I be able to republish those songs because distrokid would be, i believe unpublishing them. So do I have to pay for them again as new songs on CDbaby?

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

All you have to do is keep track of each song’s ISRC code. If your song gets pulled when you leave Distrokid, and you have to reupload the song, you can do that on any other platform using the song’s existing ISRC code (which is assigned to the song by the DSP you release with, when you release the song) - if you use the same ISRC when you re-upload (along with the same .WAV file, and album art), your song will assume it’s stream numbers, and will be put back on the playlists it was on, automatically.

[@Soldier_Sean]

Ive done cdbaby since 2010 then distrokid but im back with cdbaby, they are the best

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

Agree

[@davidtate7372]

When you choose a royalty collection does that mean the distribution company will have publishing rights forever?

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

No not at all. They only collect royalty from streaming companies. The publishing belongs to you. So you can go and register your songs with ASCAP or BMI. If your song were to get put in a tv show or film, you’d then collect composer/writer royalty, and publishing royalty through one of those two PROs. CD Baby does have an option that you can let them deal with the PRO stuff, but then they’ll take a percentage of that. Really, you should register with ASCAP or BMI as both a writer, and as a publisher of you’re releasing your own original music.

[@xentiirTV]

You mention around 5:08 that you think after so many albums you cant do rising artist anymore, but on their site, it says you have Unlimited Releases to all Digital Stores, for all 3 paid plans. I take that as you can upload and release as many albums as you want. I think the term "Rising Artist" is just a term for a lower budget tier, with fewer perks than the others.

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

That sounds right. I think the real problem I have is that you can’t be a rising artist with so many different artist names/collabs.

[@nataliemeenakshithegreat7780]

The thing is if you miss your payment tunecore I hear removes your music like it never exists they keep you hostage in a way horrific

[@Respect2theFallen]

Around 40:00 you say distributions collect mechanical royalties. I thought you needed to be registered with MLC to collect mechanicals or to obtain residuals from streaming?? Could you explain? Mlc is also free and I signed up for it because I heard you need them for mechanicals. I go through Distrokid currently btw

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

DSPs DO collect Mechanical royalties, if you pay to have them collected. Some DSPs allow you to release music for free, but they won’t collect royalties. Other DSPs charge for you to release with them, and they WILL collect Mechanical Royalties. Any money paid to you via Cd Baby or Tunecore or Distrokid or whoever are mechanical royalties. The MLC collects any mechanical royalties you might be missing. Royalties that haven’t been paid to you. This is a game-changer, I think, because it allows us to release via free versions where mech royalties aren’t collected, and allows us to collect for free via their platform. Mech royalties are streaming royalties, they’re also royalties from any sales, or any songs of yours that have been covered by other artists. It’s weird because the definition of mechanical has changed since we have transitioned from primarily physical product to digital product. There are other kinds of royalties paid to composers/songwriters, CD Baby had a program where they would collect things like performance royalties and any royalty from sync licensing, but they no longer provide that service. That is what ASCAP and BMI do, and I have episodes on the podcast on how to register for ASCAP, and how to get performance royalties for performing your original music, if that’s of interest to you.

[@Respect2theFallen]

@HowMusiciansMakeIt thanks alot for the explanation and Detail I actually am with BMI. So I have BMI, Distrokid and MLC. I should be all set releasing music right? I only have about 3 tracks out with rights other tracks are just SoundCloud with free youtube beats so those aren't official releases.

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

@@Respect2theFallen yep you’re covered, for sure. Not a bad idea to sign up with sound exchange as well, in case anything you release get played on Sirius XM, Pandora, or radio more generally.

[@Songplux]

Are you guys on Instagram? I have a question

[@HowMusiciansMakeIt]

@howmusiciansmakeit on insta