Glossary · Distribution
CD Baby
CD Baby is a music distributor that charges a one-time fee per release instead of an annual subscription — $9.99 for a single and $14.99 for an album as of August 2026 — and takes a percentage of revenue, stating that artists keep over 90%.
CD Baby is the structural opposite of DistroKid and TuneCore. Instead of paying every year to keep your music available, you pay once per release and it stays up. Per cdbaby.com, retrieved August 2026: $9.99 for a single, $14.99 for an album, no subscription fees and no annual fees, with artists keeping "over 90%" of earnings.
That "over 90%" is where the real cost lives. CD Baby takes a percentage of digital distribution revenue for as long as the release earns. The commission has been widely reported at 9% of digital distribution revenue, permanently, though cdbaby.com itself states only the "over 90%" figure — so treat the exact percentage as reported rather than confirmed and check current terms before committing a catalogue. It has also been reported that CD Baby is now owned by Universal Music Group.
The comparison is a genuine crossover calculation rather than a winner. DistroKid at $24.99 a year is cheapest in year one but recurring forever. CD Baby at $9.99 once is cheapest for a small catalogue held for many years — until the revenue share exceeds what the subscriptions would have cost. High earnings favour the subscription model; long tails on low earnings favour the one-time fee.
CD Baby also sells a publishing administration service and release add-ons, and its publishing product covers mechanical collection and SoundExchange registration that base distribution does not.
The misunderstanding: reading "no annual fees" as "no ongoing cost." The ongoing cost is a share of revenue, and unlike a subscription it scales with your success.
One-time versus recurring is a real decision; run your own numbers, and check cdbaby.com's current terms.
Related terms
- Music distributorA music distributor delivers recordings to streaming services and stores on an artist's behalf and collects the recording…
- DistroKidDistroKid is a subscription music distributor that delivers unlimited releases to streaming services for an annual fee and passes…
- TuneCoreTuneCore is a music distributor offering both annual subscriptions and pay-per-release pricing, delivering to 150+ stores while…
- Publishing administratorA publishing administrator collects a songwriter's publishing royalties worldwide for a commission without taking ownership of…
Answers that use this term
- How Much Does It Actually Cost to Release a Song Independently?Releasing a song independently costs between $9.99 and $24.99. CD Baby charges $9.99 once per single with no annual fee…
- DistroKid vs TuneCore vs CD Baby: The Real Five-Year CostDistroKid Musician and TuneCore Rising Artist both cost $24.99 a year for unlimited releases and take no commission.
- The MLC vs Songtrust vs a Publishing Admin Deal: Who Should Collect Your Publishing?The MLC is free and collects one thing: US digital mechanical royalties under the Section 115 blanket licence.
- ISRC vs ISWC: The Two Codes Your Song NeedsAn ISRC identifies a specific sound recording and is issued when you distribute — DistroKid, TuneCore and CD Baby assign one…
Definitions on this site describe the United States system. I am an artist who has been through this, not a lawyer.
Get the paperwork done in one afternoon
The Zero to Beat Society walks through registration, splits and release paperwork step by step — with the templates and checklists already filled in.
See the tiers