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Music · head to head

CD Baby vs LANDR

CD Baby logo

CD Baby

Music

Music distribution charging an upfront per-release fee plus a permanent 9% commission on royalties, now owned by Universal Music Group

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
LANDR logo

LANDR

Music

AI mastering and music distribution, sold as separate mastering, distribution and bundled Studio subscriptions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CD Baby the 9% commission is permanent and cannot be bought out, so an artist with growing streaming income pays CD Baby more every year indefinitely, unlike a flat subscription fee.; LANDR mastering and distribution are separate subscription lines, so a producer wanting both is typically paying for two products, not one, unless they specifically choose the bundled Studio plan.
  • They diverge on capability: CD Baby covers One-time per-release fee, LANDR covers AI mastering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CD Baby and LANDR actually diverge.

Attributes where CD Baby and LANDR differ
AttributeCD BabyLANDR
Pricing modelOne-time purchase plus ongoing commissionPer user per month, separate mastering and distribution subscriptions
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Music).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CD Baby

  • One-time per-release fee
  • Permanent royalty retention
  • CDB Boost
  • Royalty collection
  • Social monetisation
  • DIY musician tools

Only in LANDR

  • AI mastering
  • Digital distribution
  • 100 percent royalty retention
  • Pay-per-track mastering
  • Sample packs and plugins
  • Collaboration tools

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CD Baby

  • An artist who releases rarely and wants to pay once with no risk of losing distribution over a missed renewalnot LANDR
  • A musician comfortable trading a permanent 9% royalty cut for the certainty of never facing a subscription lapsenot LANDR
  • An artist wanting publishing administration and sync submission bundled through the optional CDB Boost add-onnot LANDR
  • A legacy CD Baby user with an existing catalogue who prefers not to migrate to a subscription-based competitornot LANDR

LANDR

  • An independent producer wanting fast, low-cost mastering for demos or lower-stakes releasesnot CD Baby
  • A self-releasing artist who wants distribution to Spotify and Apple Music without a label or aggregator contractnot CD Baby
  • A producer wanting to pay for a single mastered track without committing to a subscriptionnot CD Baby
  • An artist who wants sample packs, mastering and distribution bundled together under one Studio plannot CD Baby

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CD Baby

  • The 9% commission is permanent and cannot be bought out, so an artist with growing streaming income pays CD Baby more every year indefinitely, unlike a flat subscription fee.
  • It is now owned by Universal Music Group following the 2026 Downtown Music Holdings acquisition, which sits awkwardly against its original positioning as an independent alternative to major labels.
  • Sync placements CD Baby secures on an artist’s behalf carry up to a 40% commission, among the highest cuts in the category.
  • Social platform monetisation is commissioned at 30%, higher than DistroKid’s or TuneCore’s 20%.
  • The one-time fee model looks cheaper upfront than a subscription, but for any artist with meaningful and growing streaming revenue the compounding 9% cut typically costs more over a few years.

LANDR

  • Mastering and distribution are separate subscription lines, so a producer wanting both is typically paying for two products, not one, unless they specifically choose the bundled Studio plan.
  • AI mastering is generally regarded by working audio engineers as producing a less considered, more generic result than a human mastering engineer for a release meant to matter to an artist career.
  • The lowest mastering tier caps output at lower-resolution MP3, so getting WAV and HD WAV masters requires the more expensive Pro tier.
  • Distribution plans are billed annually, which is a less flexible commitment than platforms offering month-to-month or per-release distribution pricing.
  • Frequent promotional discounting on LANDR pricing makes the real ongoing renewal price harder to predict from marketing pages alone.

Pricing, plan by plan

CD Baby

On request
  • Single$9.99/month
    • One-time upfront fee per single
    • 9% commission on digital royalties, permanent
  • Album$14.99/month
    • One-time upfront fee per album
    • 9% commission on digital royalties, permanent
  • CDB Boost$39.99/month
    • Optional per-release add-on for publishing and sync submission

LANDR

On request
  • Mastering Basic$4/month
    • Unlimited lower-resolution MP3 masters
    • Digital distribution not included
  • Mastering Pro$25/month
    • Unlimited WAV and HD WAV masters
    • Highest mastering resolution tier
  • Distribution Basic$24/year
    • Distribution to major streaming platforms
    • Billed separately from mastering plans
  • Distribution Pro$45/year
    • Higher-tier distribution features
    • 100 percent royalty retention

Which should you pick?

Choose CD Baby if

  • You need one-time per-release fee.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want permanent royalty retention.
CD Baby review

Choose LANDR if

  • You need ai mastering.
  • You also want digital distribution.
LANDR review

Questions people ask

Is CD Baby or LANDR better?
Neither clearly leads. CD Baby starts at On request and LANDR at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CD Baby or LANDR?
CD Baby starts at On request and LANDR at On request.
Does CD Baby or LANDR run on more platforms?
CD Baby runs on Web, iOS, Android. LANDR runs on Web.
What is CD Baby best used for?
CD Baby is most often used for an artist who releases rarely and wants to pay once with no risk of losing distribution over a missed renewal, a musician comfortable trading a permanent 9% royalty cut for the certainty of never facing a subscription lapse, an artist wanting publishing administration and sync submission bundled through the optional cdb boost add-on, a legacy cd baby user with an existing catalogue who prefers not to migrate to a subscription-based competitor. Of those, an artist who releases rarely and wants to pay once with no risk of losing distribution over a missed renewal and a musician comfortable trading a permanent 9% royalty cut for the certainty of never facing a subscription lapse are not what LANDR is typically brought in for.
What can CD Baby do that LANDR cannot?
CD Baby covers One-time per-release fee, Permanent royalty retention, CDB Boost, Royalty collection. LANDR covers AI mastering, Digital distribution, 100 percent royalty retention, Pay-per-track mastering.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CD Baby: Does CD Baby ever take a subscription fee?

No, it charges a one-time upfront fee per release, but keeps a permanent 9% commission on royalties with no way to remove it.

LANDR: Do mastering and distribution cost the same subscription?

No, they are billed as separate plans; a bundled Studio plan combines them along with sample packs and plugins.

CD Baby: Who owns CD Baby now?

Universal Music Group, following its February 2026 acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings, CD Baby’s previous owner.

LANDR: Do I keep 100 percent of royalties through LANDR distribution?

Yes, artists retain full royalties from tracks distributed through LANDR.

CD Baby: What happens if I never pay again after the initial fee?

Releases stay distributed since there is no recurring distribution fee; the ongoing 9% commission is deducted automatically from royalties as they are earned.

LANDR: Can I master a single track without a subscription?

Yes, a pay-per-track option is available for around 9.99 USD per master.

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