TOOL 01
Spotify royalty calculator
What a stream count pays, as a range.
100,000
Estimate range, not a fixed rate. Rates last checked 1 Sep 2026. Tracks under 1,000 streams in 12 months earn nothing.
Full calculatorFOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS, SONGS 1 TO 10
Release your music without getting ripped off.
Independent, dated comparisons of every major distributor, checked against their own pricing pages, so you can pick one and get back to the music.
Prices checked monthly · Every claim sourced · No paid rankings
RELEASE QUEUE03:24 / 03:24
Midnight Demo
Your artist name · Single
- Mastered
- Uploaded
- Live on Spotify
Release: Fri 16 Oct150 stores
01 / THE RELEASE PATH
Five stops from bounce to bank account.
Pick where you are. You get the three guides worth reading at that stage and the tool that saves the most time.
STAGE 1 OF 5
Finish the song
Bounce a clean master and settle who wrote what while everyone still remembers.
Tip: Export a 24-bit WAV at the session sample rate. Most distributors reject MP3 uploads.
FREE TOOL
Split sheet template
Agree the percentages the day the song is finished, while everyone agrees who wrote the hook.
Open toolSTAGE 2 OF 5
Prep the release
Codes, cover art and metadata. Boring, and the cause of most rejected uploads.
Tip: Most distributors give you ISRC and UPC codes for free. You rarely need to buy them.
FREE TOOL
Album cover resizer
Get artwork to 3000 × 3000 in your browser. Stores reject anything smaller.
Open toolSTAGE 3 OF 5
Pick a distributor and upload
Choose based on how often you release and whether you split money with anyone.
Tip: Upload 3 to 4 weeks early. Spotify needs the track at least 7 days before release to pitch it to editors.
STAGE 4 OF 5
Promote without buying fake plays
Pitch playlists, make a Canvas, and ignore anyone selling guaranteed streams.
Tip: If a service guarantees a number of streams, walk away. That is how songs get removed.
FREE TOOL
Spotify royalty calculator
See what a stream count really pays before you spend money chasing it.
Open toolSTAGE 5 OF 5
Collect every royalty
Streaming payouts are one income line. Performance and mechanical royalties need their own sign-ups.
Tip: Register with a PRO like ASCAP or BMI. Your distributor does not collect performance royalties for you.
FREE TOOL
Spotify royalty calculator
See what a stream count really pays before you spend money chasing it.
Open tool02 / DISTRIBUTOR FINDER
Which distributor fits you?
Four questions, no email. You get one distributor and the reasons, not a list of ten.
QUESTION 1 OF 4
How many songs will you release this year?
03 / COMPARISON
Seven distributors, side by side.
Sort by what you care about. Green marks the best value in each column. No distributor pays us for its place or its colors.
| CD Baby | $9.99 per single | 9% | 150+ | $1 | Yes | No | A few songs, kept up forever |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ditto | $19.00/yr | 0% | 150+ | $33 | No | Yes | Cheapest unlimited plan |
| UnitedMasters | $19.99/yr | 0% | 30+ | None | Add-on | Yes | Budget plan with sync deals to grow into |
| Amuse | $23.99/yr | 0% | 60+ | $10 | Yes | Yes | Low-cost plan with Content ID built in |
| LANDR | $23.99/yr | 0% | 150+ | $1 | Yes | Yes | Mastering and release in one place |
| DistroKid | $24.99/yr | 0% | 150+ | $6 | Add-on | Yes | Frequent solo releases |
| TuneCore | $24.99/yr | 0% | 150+ | $1 | Yes | Yes | Adding publishing admin later |
CD Baby
A few songs, kept up forever
- Price
- $9.99 per single
- Cut of store royalties
- 9%
- Stores
- 150+
- Payout threshold
- $1
- Content ID
- Yes
- Splits
- No
Ditto
Cheapest unlimited plan
- Price
- $19.00/yr
- Cut of store royalties
- 0%
- Stores
- 150+
- Payout threshold
- $33
- Content ID
- No
- Splits
- Yes
UnitedMasters
Budget plan with sync deals to grow into
- Price
- $19.99/yr
- Cut of store royalties
- 0%
- Stores
- 30+
- Payout threshold
- None
- Content ID
- Add-on
- Splits
- Yes
Amuse
Low-cost plan with Content ID built in
- Price
- $23.99/yr
- Cut of store royalties
- 0%
- Stores
- 60+
- Payout threshold
- $10
- Content ID
- Yes
- Splits
- Yes
LANDR
Mastering and release in one place
- Price
- $23.99/yr
- Cut of store royalties
- 0%
- Stores
- 150+
- Payout threshold
- $1
- Content ID
- Yes
- Splits
- Yes
DistroKid
Frequent solo releases
- Price
- $24.99/yr
- Cut of store royalties
- 0%
- Stores
- 150+
- Payout threshold
- $6
- Content ID
- Add-on
- Splits
- Yes
TuneCore
Adding publishing admin later
- Price
- $24.99/yr
- Cut of store royalties
- 0%
- Stores
- 150+
- Payout threshold
- $1
- Content ID
- Yes
- Splits
- Yes
- Price is the cheapest plan with unlimited releases, or the per-release fee where there is no yearly plan. Green compares yearly prices only.
- The cut is what the distributor keeps from store streams and downloads. Content ID, social video and sync income can carry separate fees. See each source for the details.
04 / FREE TOOLS
Three tools. They run in your browser.
No sign-up, and your files never leave your device.
TOOL 02
Album cover resizer
Crops and scales artwork to 3000 × 3000.
Drop your cover hereJPG or PNG · stays on your device
- Square1:1 aspect ratio
- At least 3000px3000 × 3000 recommended
- RGB colorNo CMYK
- Under 10MBFile size limit
TOOL 03
Split sheet
Agree who owns what before the song earns a cent.
Total100%
Adds up. Get everyone to sign it.
05 / BROWSE BY STAGE
Seven hubs, one for each headache.
Distribution
Pick a distributor and get your song into every store.
/distribution/Getting on platforms
Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok and SoundCloud, step by step.
/platforms/Release prep
Codes, cover art, mastering and the checklist.
/release/Spotify for Artists
What the numbers in your dashboard actually mean.
/spotify-for-artists/Promotion
Getting heard without paying for fake plays.
/promotion/Money and royalties
Where the money comes from and how to collect all of it.
/royalties/Free tools
Calculators and templates that run in your browser.
/tools/06 / START HERE
The guides people open first.
- DistributionBest Free Music Distribution
- Release prepWhat Is an ISRC Code?
- Free toolsAlbum Cover Size Guide + Free Resizer
- DistributionDistroKid Pricing Explained
- DistributionDistroKid vs TuneCore
- DistributionDoes DistroKid Allow Samples?
- DistributionBest Music Distribution Services
- DistributionClaim Your YouTube Topic Channel With DistroKid
OUR ONE HARD RULE
What we won't recommend.
We never send you to services that sell streams or guarantee playlist spots, even when they offer us a commission. Spotify treats artificial streams as a rules breach. The penalty lands on you: withheld royalties, or your song removed.
Read: Spotify bots and fake streams- Stream, follower or save packages.
- Guaranteed playlist placement.
- Promo that won't say where plays come from.