CD Baby vs DistroKid: Which Suits Indian Artists Better?
CD Baby and DistroKid represent the two opposite philosophies of music distribution. One charges once per release and takes a permanent cut. The other charges every year and takes nothing. For Indian artists, who often pay in dollars and earn in rupees, the maths matters even more. Here is how the two compare.
Pricing: one-time fee vs annual subscription
CD Baby charges a one-time fee per release: $9.99 for a single and $14.99 for an album, with no annual renewal. DistroKid charges $24.99 per year for its Musician plan with unlimited uploads. In rupee terms, that works out to roughly ₹840 for one CD Baby single versus roughly ₹2,100 per year for DistroKid. Both bill in US dollars, so Indian artists should also factor in currency conversion and international card charges.
Royalties: 91% forever vs 100% while subscribed
CD Baby keeps a permanent 9% commission, so you receive 91% of your royalties for as long as the release earns. DistroKid passes through 100% of ordinary streaming royalties while your subscription is active. The break-even point depends on earnings. On a release earning $10,000, CD Baby's 9% cut costs $900, while DistroKid still costs only its annual fee. On a release earning $10 a year, CD Baby's $0.90 cut is far cheaper than a $24.99 subscription.
What happens if you stop paying?
This is CD Baby's biggest advantage. Because there is no subscription, your music stays live permanently with no renewal needed. With DistroKid, your catalogue is removed from stores if your subscription lapses, unless you bought the Leave a Legacy add-on at $29 per release. For artists who may take a break from music, that permanence is worth real money.
Speed, features, and support
DistroKid is faster: songs can reach Spotify within 24 to 48 hours, while CD Baby's manual review process typically takes one to two weeks. DistroKid offers automatic royalty splitting for collaborators, which CD Baby does not support. On support, CD Baby offers phone and email support from real humans, while DistroKid relies heavily on automation. CD Baby also includes YouTube Content ID, though it keeps a 30% commission on that revenue, compared with DistroKid's paid add-on plus 20%.
The verdict for Indian artists
If you release one or two songs a year and want your catalogue to stay live forever without thinking about renewals, CD Baby's one-time model fits. If you release frequently and your earnings are growing, DistroKid's flat fee wins. Neither service offers caller tune distribution for Indian telecom networks, so if that income stream matters to you, check whether your distributor covers it before committing.
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