DistroKid is inexpensive.

But it isn’t necessarily the cheapest music distributor for every artist.

That’s because “cheap” depends on how much music you release and how much money it earns.

DistroKid

US pricing currently starts at $24.99 per year.

Ditto

Ditto currently starts at $19 per year for one artist with unlimited releases.

Too Lost

Too Lost currently starts at $19.99 per year for one artist and unlimited releases.

UnitedMasters

UnitedMasters DEBUT+ currently costs $19.99 annually and includes unlimited releases with 100% streaming royalty retention.

RouteNote

RouteNote Free costs nothing upfront or annually for distribution.

Instead, artists keep 85% of net revenue.

Which is actually cheapest?

If you earn nothing:

free distribution wins mathematically.

If you earn $100:

the calculation becomes closer.

If you earn $100,000:

a low fixed annual subscription can be vastly cheaper than a percentage.

That’s why asking:

Which distributor is cheapest?

is slightly the wrong question.

Ask:

Which distributor is cheapest for an artist with my revenue and release pattern?

Think long term

Also include:

extras

payout fees

cover licensing

catalogue permanence

multiple artist charges

support

rights-management services

A $5 annual price difference isn’t worth caring about if another service saves you hundreds elsewhere.

Choose on total economics.