TuneCorevs
DistroKid
DistroKid: If you want a single, simpler pricing model rather than two parallel structures
TuneCore
Music distribution owned by Believe, offering both a 0%-royalty annual subscription and an older pay-per-release model side by side
As of 1 September 2026, TuneCore's pricing is not published; the vendor quotes on request. A distributor that, unlike DistroKid, still runs two pricing models in parallel: unlimited-upload annual subscriptions from $24. Softwr lists it under Music. TuneCore is made by TuneCore (a Believe company), available on Web, iOS, Android.
Overview
What TuneCore does
TuneCore distributes music to Spotify, Apple Music and over 150 other stores, and provides royalty collection, publishing administration and sync licensing services. It has been owned by Believe, a French independent music company, since 2015, which places it under the same corporate umbrella as several other artist services businesses rather than operating as a fully independent distributor. What distinguishes it commercially is that it still sells two incompatible pricing structures at once. The current default is an unlimited annual subscription, priced at $24.99 (Rising Artist), $44.99 (Breakout Artist) or $54.99 (Professional), under which the artist keeps 100% of streaming store royalties. Alongside that, an older pay-per-release model persists, where a single costs $24.99 a year and an album $44.99 the first year rising to $56.49 on renewal, charged per release rather than as a flat catalogue-wide fee. A musician comparing TuneCore to DistroKid needs to check which of TuneCore’s own two models they are being quoted, since the economics differ meaningfully depending on how many releases they put out per year. Buyers are independent artists and small labels who release frequently enough that unlimited-upload subscriptions make sense, or infrequent releasers who might prefer paying per release rather than an annual platform fee. The trade-off, as with DistroKid, is that non-streaming revenue is not commission-free: TuneCore takes 20% of social platform monetisation and 20% of collected publishing royalties.
What people use it for
- A prolific artist releasing many singles a year who benefits from an unlimited-upload subscription over per-release fees
- An infrequent releaser who prefers paying only for the specific single or album they put out rather than an annual platform fee
- An artist wanting publishing administration and sync licensing submission alongside distribution, from one vendor
- A songwriter managing multiple artist identities who is willing to pay the per-name annual fee for each additional profile
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about TuneCore.
- TuneCore runs two different pricing structures side by side, and it is easy for a buyer to be quoted or compare against the wrong one for their release frequency.
- The pay-per-release album price rises significantly on renewal, from $44.99 in year one to $56.49 in subsequent years, which is not obvious from the headline price.
- As with DistroKid, the 0%-royalty claim covers streaming stores only; social monetisation and publishing administration both carry a 20% commission.
- Ownership by Believe means TuneCore’s roadmap and priorities sit within a larger corporate group whose other artist-services brands can create channel conflicts or bundling pressure.
- Additional artist profiles carry a recurring annual fee, so an artist running several projects under different names pays materially more than the headline single-artist price suggests.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of TuneCore
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- TuneCorevsCD Baby
CD Baby: If you prefer a one-time fee with a permanent royalty cut over any kind of recurring or per-release charge
Pricing
What TuneCore costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Rising Artist (subscription)
$24.99 /yr
- Unlimited uploads, 0% royalty commission on streaming
Breakout Artist (subscription)
$44.99 /yr
- Unlimited uploads, additional distribution features
Professional (subscription)
$54.99 /yr
- Unlimited uploads, full feature set
Pay-per-release: Single
$24.99 /yr
- One track, renews annually to keep it live
Pay-per-release: Album
$44.99 /yr
- First year price, renews at $56.49 in subsequent years
Capabilities
Features
Unlimited uploads on subscription plans
No cap on releases under Rising Artist, Breakout Artist or Professional tiers
Pay-per-release legacy option
Per-single and per-album pricing for artists who release infrequently
0% royalty commission on streaming stores
Artists keep 100% of core streaming royalties under both pricing models
Publishing administration
Collection of mechanical and performance royalties, at a 20% commission
Sync licensing marketplace
Submission of tracks for use in film, TV and advertising placements
Multiple artist profile support
Additional artist names available for an extra annual fee per name
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Which pricing model should I use, subscription or pay-per-release?
If you release more than one or two records a year, the unlimited subscription is usually cheaper; infrequent releasers may prefer paying per release.
Who owns TuneCore?
Believe, a French independent music company, has owned TuneCore since 2015.
Does TuneCore take a cut of streaming royalties?
No, on both the subscription and pay-per-release models you keep 100% of streaming store royalties; social platforms and publishing administration are commissioned separately.
Keep looking
Where to go from TuneCore
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for TuneCore, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
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