COMPARISON · 2026

Music distributors compared.

Subscription, commission or both? The best-known digital music distributors and pricing models side by side — what they cost and what actually matters. Every entry leads to a detailed comparison with a feature matrix and FAQ.

Music distributors

ProviderCostIn short
OGRECORDS10 % revenue share · no subscriptionOne upload to 38+ DSPs, unlimited splits, YouTube Content ID included, your masters stay yours.
iGroove15% + €19/yrIf you do more than 30,000 streams/month, you earn ~10–15% more on OGRECORDS.See comparison →
DistroKid€21.99/yr · subAt low streams DistroKid is cheaper. At 30K+ streams/month OGRECORDS pays off more.See comparison →
recordJet9% + €19/yr + €5/payout9% + €19/yr + €5/payout vs. 10% revenue share, no other fees.See comparison →
TuneCore$14.99–$49.99/yr per releaseTuneCore: annual subscription + 0% cut + reactive AI detection. OGRECORDS: 10% revenue share + proactive AI disclosure.See comparison →

Pricing models

ProviderCostIn short
15 % model15-20 % commissionOn €10k streaming earnings you keep €9,000 instead of €8,500.See comparison →
Annual-subscription model€20-50/yearBelow €2,000 annual earnings OGR is cheaper — at zero streams definitely.See comparison →
Hybrid model€9-30/release + 9-15 %One cut. No add-ons. All features included.See comparison →
Premium-tier model+€60-200/year for pro featuresWhat's pro-tier elsewhere is standard for every OG artist.See comparison →
WHAT MATTERS

How to pick the right music distributor.

The biggest difference is the cost model. An annual subscription costs money even in months without earnings; a commission only when you earn. With few streams, commission is therefore almost always cheaper; beyond a certain volume a subscription can become cheaper. Run your own numbers — the calculator on /pricing shows the difference.

What isn’t in the price often matters more: how many royalty splits are possible per release? Does YouTube Content ID cost extra? How often, and from what amount, are payouts made, and do they carry fees? And what happens to your releases if you don’t renew the subscription — with some models they go offline.

You can switch at any time: you deliver your releases through the new distributor with the same ISRC and UPC codes and only take them down at the old one once the new ones are live. OGRECORDS handles the catalogue migration for free.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about comparing distributors.

It depends on your earnings. If you stream little, a commission without a base fee is cheaper because there are no fixed costs. If you stream a lot, an annual subscription can save money — but check split limits, surcharges for YouTube Content ID and what happens to your releases when the subscription ends.