One of the most attractive things about DistroKid is its royalty model.

DistroKid says it passes 100% of ordinary streaming and download earnings allocated to the artist, minus banking fees and applicable taxes.

But how and when do artists actually get their money?

Streaming royalties don’t arrive instantly

When someone streams your song today, Spotify doesn’t immediately send the royalty to DistroKid.

Streaming services report usage and pay distributors later.

Different stores also operate on different reporting cycles.

That means your DistroKid Bank can continue updating as reports arrive from different platforms and countries.

How do you withdraw DistroKid royalties?

Artists can request earnings from the DistroKid Bank.

DistroKid currently uses Tipalti to process payments and offers methods including PayPal, ACH, wire transfer, eCheck and paper checks depending on your location.

Once a withdrawal is requested, DistroKid says funds will typically be delivered within 14 days.

Does DistroKid charge withdrawal fees?

Yes.

Current charges include:

  • US ACH: $1.12
  • US eCheck: $1.69
  • non-US local bank transfer/SEPA: $5.62
  • US wire: $16.85
  • international wire in local currency: $21.47
  • international wire in USD: $29.21

PayPal carries its own fee structure and currency conversion may also attract an FX charge of up to 3%.

These fees matter particularly to smaller artists.

Withdrawing $50 while paying several dollars in fees feels very different from withdrawing $5,000.

Does DistroKid take a royalty percentage?

For normal DSP streaming and download income, DistroKid says no.

The notable exception is optional services such as Social Media Pack, where DistroKid keeps 20% of the revenue generated by the feature.

The real question

DistroKid’s royalty model is strong.

The trade-off is that artists pay the distribution company through subscriptions and optional extras instead.

For high-earning artists, that can be excellent economics.

For artists earning almost nothing, paying an annual subscription before receiving royalties may not be as attractive.

That’s why it’s worth comparing the whole financial model rather than simply asking what percentage a distributor takes.