MUSIC DISTRIBUTION COST GUIDE
How much does music distribution cost?
The real cost is the plan or release fee, plus any applicable revenue share and optional services over the period you need. A low subscription price alone does not tell you the full amount. Count your releases, the features you need and the income on which a distributor's share applies.
This guide explains the calculation using DistroBolt's current standard terms. For the actual plan selection, use our existing pricing section; for provider-specific comparisons, use our separate comparison page.
Compare DistroBolt plans1. Separate the four parts of the price
- Subscriptions
- A recurring monthly or annual payment for a defined plan. Check artist limits, included releases, billing interval and renewal terms; a monthly price multiplied by twelve may exceed the annual option.
- Per-release fees
- A fee for a single, EP or album. Establish whether it is paid once or repeats each year. Existing releases can continue to contribute to annual catalogue costs even in a year with no new release.
- Revenue share
- A percentage of the applicable reported income. It changes with income and is separate from a subscription. Use the agreement's accounting basis rather than an assumed payment per stream.
- Optional extras
- Separate work, upgrades or third-party services. Check whether you actually need them and whether the quoted coverage already includes them.
A practical comparison is: fees for the whole period + applicable revenue share + selected extras + any applicable taxes or payment costs. Use the same artists, releases, period, currency and features on both sides.
2. DistroBolt's current standard prices
- Essential: a free account with annual fees of €3.98 per single and €8.98 per EP or album. These are annual release fees, not one-off lifetime prices.
- Premium yearly: €69 billed each year for unlimited artists and releases under the applicable distribution terms.
- Premium monthly: €9 billed each month. Twelve payments total €108, €39 more than one €69 annual period. Both Premium billing choices have the same features.
- Standard revenue allocation: 90% to the artist side and 10% to DistroBolt. The standard share applies on Essential and Premium, including applicable Content ID revenue; Premium does not remove this share.
Premium replaces annual Essential per-release fees during the active Premium period. Do not add both fee models for the same covered period in a comparison. If you already have releases, Premium or an earlier purchase, ask us to confirm the changeover before starting another subscription.
Essential and Premium include the same listed distribution features: supported platform delivery, automatic white label using your own label name, free royalty splits and recipient accounts, available streaming/social analytics, and eligible Content ID. Beatport and cover licensing remain subject to the relevant approval, rights and licensing scope. Included access does not guarantee acceptance of every recording, platform or rights request.
Mastering, cover design, promotion and other paid Marketplace work are separate purchases. Practical catalogue-transfer assistance and third-party subscriptions are also separate. You can prepare and move your releases yourself; paid hands-on help is optional. Check the current plan details, Premium subscription terms and Marketplace services.
3. Three worked examples
Illustrations, not customer stories or guaranteed savings. Each example assumes the catalogue stays unchanged and fully covered for the stated period, with no separately negotiated agreement, optional purchases or referral allocation. The reported income is a hypothetical amount to which the standard 10% applies, not an estimate from streams. Figures use current listed EUR fees, held constant for illustration; future prices are not guaranteed. Applicable tax, conversion and payment charges are not calculated. Confirm the actual payable total before purchase.
Example A: one single for one year
One artist, one single, twelve months and €200 applicable reported income.
- Essential fee: 1 × €3.98 = €3.98.
- DistroBolt share: 10% × €200 = €20.
- Combined fee and share: €23.98. The artist-side allocation is €180; after the listed release fee, the illustrative remainder is €176.02.
- For the same period and income, Premium yearly would total €69 + €20 = €89; twelve monthly payments would total €108 + €20 = €128.
For this small catalogue, Essential has the lower listed fee. This is a fee comparison, not a forecast of earnings.
Example B: one album for one year
One artist, one album containing ten tracks, twelve months and €2,000 applicable reported income. The tracks are part of that album, not ten additional single releases.
- Essential fee: 1 album × €8.98 = €8.98.
- DistroBolt share: 10% × €2,000 = €200.
- Combined fee and share: €208.98. Artist-side allocation: €1,800; after the listed album fee, illustrative remainder: €1,791.02.
- Premium yearly: €69 + €200 = €269. Twelve monthly payments: €108 + €200 = €308.
Count releases as well as tracks. One album and ten separately issued singles do not have the same Essential fee.
Example C: a larger catalogue for two years
Three artists, 20 singles and 10 albums kept for two full years, with €10,000 applicable reported income in total across both years.
- Essential annual fees: (20 × €3.98) + (10 × €8.98) = €79.60 + €89.80 = €169.40 per year; two years = €338.80.
- Standard share over both years: 10% × €10,000 = €1,000.
- Essential combined: €338.80 + €1,000 = €1,338.80.
- Premium yearly for two years: (2 × €69) + €1,000 = €1,138.
- Premium monthly for 24 payments: (24 × €9) + €1,000 = €1,216.
The standard share is the same in all three calculations. Premium yearly reduces the listed plan/release fees by €200.80 against Essential in this example, before any uncalculated charges. That result depends on this catalogue and period.
Fees-only reference: 18 singles cost €71.64 per year on Essential; eight EPs/albums cost €71.84. Compare a mixed catalogue as (€3.98 × singles) + (€8.98 × EPs/albums) against €69 yearly. Income still matters to the total, even though the standard share does not change between these two DistroBolt plans.
4. Compare complete packages, not just headline prices
List what you need: artist count, ongoing releases, social-platform delivery, rights-eligible Content ID, collaborator splits and recipient access, analytics and personal help. Distinguish a feature's availability from eligibility and from a separate service requiring approval.
A competitor's plan or add-on price must be checked for that specific feature and billing period. Do not assume every provider charges extra for the same things, or that a feature absent from a short price card is unavailable. Our DistroBolt vs DistroKid comparison contains the existing comparison and calculator; this guide does not duplicate them.
DistroBolt's personal support can help you check files, artist identities and release preparation. Optional production or migration work is quoted separately. Read the catalogue-transfer guide if you are moving existing music rather than starting from scratch.
5. Know what happens at renewal
New recurring Premium subscriptions renew automatically at the selected monthly or annual interval until cancelled. Billing starts when you pay. Payment does not create an approved account or instantly activate distribution access: DistroBolt verifies payment and account ownership, activates Premium manually and confirms it.
Use Premium's Manage subscription option to view invoices, update payment details or cancel future renewals. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. It does not itself request account deletion or removal of releases. Earlier one-time Premium purchases keep their original terms and are not automatically converted.
If a payment fails, update the payment method and contact the team as needed. A failed attempt does not erase time already paid for; Premium access is reviewed against the paid period. Refund requests are assessed against the transaction and service provided, with mandatory consumer rights unaffected.
Essential fees are annual for each release. Before stopping payment or moving away from Premium, ask DistroBolt to confirm the applicable release fees, renewal handling and effect on your existing catalogue. Do not assume non-payment is a takedown request, a free renewal or an immediate deletion. Read royalty reporting and payouts separately from subscription billing.
Common distribution-cost questions
Does paying Premium mean DistroBolt takes no revenue share?
No. Under the standard terms, you keep 90% and DistroBolt receives 10%. Premium replaces annual per-release distribution fees while active; it does not remove the standard share.
Is a free Essential account the same as free distribution?
No. The account is free, but annual fees apply to each single, EP or album, and the standard revenue share applies. Free collaborator recipient accounts are a separate included feature.
Is monthly Premium cheaper than yearly Premium?
Not over twelve payments at the current prices: 12 × €9 = €108, compared with €69 yearly. Choose the billing period that suits your circumstances and read renewal terms before paying.
Do I pay for mastering or catalogue help as well?
Only if you choose that separate service under its quoted terms. Paid Marketplace work and practical transfer assistance are not included purchases simply because you subscribe to distribution.
What about taxes, currency conversion or a tailored label agreement?
Confirm the complete price and applicable treatment before payment; the worked examples do not calculate these charges. Labels with more than 3 million annual catalogue streams can contact DistroBolt to discuss an individual agreement. No individual rate is promised here.
Can someone check which option fits my catalogue?
Yes. Send the numbers of singles and EPs/albums, artist count, intended period and any existing subscription to DistroBolt. For a transfer, include the release inventory. Do not start a second subscription before the team has checked your current position.
Choose the payment model that fits your catalogue.
Check the current price and coverage, or ask the DistroBolt team for help with your existing plan or catalogue.
Compare DistroBolt plans