DistroKid vs CD Baby, which one is better?

In this post I will review the main services for distributing digitally your music, and getting your songs on popular services like Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes. Stores and streaming services like iTunes and Spotify don't accept your music directly, so you have to go through some third party companies. I have tried both CD Baby and DistroKid, so I will give you a good overview of the pros and cons of each one of them.

DistroKid vs CD Baby, which one is cheaper?

CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com) charged me $49 for my debut album release, which is not too bad, and they take a 9% cut of your net income (after iTunes cut of 30% etc).

I think the advantage of CD baby vs all the other competitors, is that they are the only one not having you to commit to a yearly or monthly fee. 

You pay just once for every work you upload (album or single), and they take a cut of your revenue.

But on the other side, DistroKid (www.distrokid.com), at just $19.99 per year, with unlimited releases, it's so attractive that it's difficult to ignore it. And they don't take any cut on your earnings, leaving you 100%.

I think the only possible downside for DistroKid would be in the case you couldn't afford anymore to pay the $19.99 yearly fee at some point. In that case, the music will be pulled out from the online stores (iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Music, Amazon etc.).

On the other side, once you upload something with CD Baby, and pay the album one-time fee, the music will stay on the stores regardless of your future ability to make the payment.

Service comparison:

Having tried both of them, I can give you a first-hand feedback on their service.

CD Baby made me go through few steps in order to finalize and approve my content. CD Baby is also a platform for selling music itself, and that means that you have to go through few steps such as completing your bio, writing a description of your album, etc.

DistroKid interface is very minimalistic: intuitive and easy to use. I had just to drag my files and artwork, and after few hours the album was on iTunes. Spotify took longer though, as it happened with CD Baby, just because how it works compared to other platform like iTunes or Amazon.

I was happy with both of them, but I found DistroKid quicker and easier to use, with its no-frills interface.

Conclusion:

At such a competitive price, with no cuts on revenue and backed by a fast delivery to platforms, DistroKid is the winner for me. 

If you intend to release several works, and be an active musician for your future years ahead, $19.99 is a great proposition. 
Coupled with a smooth and easy to use service, it makes DistroKid my favourite choice on the market.

Tunecore & Reverbnation

There are two other main distributors on the market as well: Tunecore and Reverbnation.

Tunecore offers a yearly fee structure, with zero % fees on sales, but the yearly fee is far way higher than DistroKid.

Reverbnation basic service is $19.95 per month, with 2 max digital releases per year. Again, another expensive option.
It's true that you get some additional services in the price (like profile page, facebook app); but if you are just looking for the distribution service, with no frills, DistroKid is the way to go. You can always invest more money in building your website separately, and it will surely cost you less.

After your music hits Apple Music and Spotify, you can start to attract some followers and attention by create a profile on SoundCloud, and upload some of your songs. Please read my next post to learn how maximise your exposure on SoundCloud.