The fastest way to sell music online is to pick the right platform for the job: a digital distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby or a service like LANDR) to push your tracks onto Spotify, Apple Music and every download store, plus a direct-to-fan storefront like Bandcamp where fans buy straight from you. Most independent artists use both — a distributor for reach and a storefront for margin.
There’s no single “best” site, only the best fit for how you release and who your audience is. This guide breaks down the leading options, what each one is genuinely good at, and how to combine them so you keep more of the money your music earns.
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Key takeaways before you choose a platform
- Distributors get your music onto streaming and download stores worldwide. Pricing models vary — some charge a flat annual fee, others take a cut — so check the provider’s current pricing before committing.
- Direct-to-fan storefronts like Bandcamp let fans pay you directly, usually giving you a much larger share per sale than streaming.
- Streaming pays little per play — payouts vary widely and are measured in fractions of a cent — so downloads, merch and physical sales still matter for real income.
- You keep your rights. Reputable distributors are non-exclusive; you own your masters and can leave and take your catalogue with you.
- Great masters sell better. Before you upload anywhere, make sure your tracks are properly mastered for streaming.
The best sites to sell music online, compared
Below are the platforms most independent artists actually use. Think of them in two buckets: distributors that place you everywhere, and storefronts where fans buy directly from you.
DistroKid — best for high-volume, frequent releasers
DistroKid built its reputation on a simple promise: pay a flat annual subscription and upload as much music as you like, keeping 100% of your streaming and download royalties. That model suits artists who release singles often, because there’s no per-release charge eating into a small catalogue. Upload is fast, splits can be paid automatically to collaborators, and delivery to the major stores is quick. The trade-off is that it’s a subscription — stop paying and your music can come down — so weigh the annual cost against how much you release. Check DistroKid’s current pricing, as tiers and add-ons change.
TuneCore — best for maximising store coverage and publishing
TuneCore is one of the longest-running distributors and pushes your music to a very wide list of stores and streaming services. It also offers publishing administration to help collect songwriter royalties you’d otherwise leave on the table. Historically it leaned on per-release fees, though its plans have evolved, so check current pricing. It’s a strong pick if you want broad reach plus help chasing down the mechanical and performance royalties that indie artists frequently miss.
CD Baby — best for a one-time fee and physical distribution
CD Baby has served independent musicians for decades and is known for a one-time, per-release fee rather than an annual subscription — pay once and the release stays live. It also handles physical distribution (CDs and vinyl) and sync licensing opportunities, which most subscription-only distributors don’t. If you release albums occasionally rather than a steady stream of singles, a pay-once model can work out cheaper over time. As always, confirm the current fee structure before you upload.
LANDR — best for bundling mastering with distribution
LANDR started as an AI mastering tool and grew into a full platform that also distributes your music to streaming services. Its appeal is the all-in-one workflow: master a track and send it to stores from the same account, which is handy if you’re a bedroom producer handling every stage yourself. If you’re already using it to polish your mixes, using it to release them too removes a step. Pricing is subscription-based and bundled with its other tools, so check the provider’s current pricing. Ready to master and distribute in one place?
Amuse and Ditto — best for lean, low-cost entry
Amuse and Ditto are worth knowing if budget is tight. Amuse offers a free tier for basic distribution alongside paid plans, which lowers the barrier for a first release. Ditto uses an annual subscription for unlimited uploads, similar in spirit to DistroKid. Both get you onto the major platforms; the differences come down to price, payout timing and extra services, so compare their current plans against your release schedule.
Bandcamp — best for selling directly to real fans
Bandcamp isn’t a distributor — it’s a storefront, and a brilliant one for artists with a genuine audience. Fans can stream, then buy downloads (often paying more than you ask), physical items and merch, with the artist keeping the large majority of each sale after fees. It’s the single best place to capture the value of a dedicated listener, because a Bandcamp buyer is worth far more than thousands of passive streams. Use it alongside a distributor, not instead of one.
Distributors versus direct-to-fan: how to actually sell music online
The mistake many new artists make is treating this as an either/or decision. It isn’t. A distributor and a storefront do different jobs, and the smart play is to run both at once.
Your distributor is about discovery and scale. It gets you onto Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and the download stores so that anyone, anywhere, can find and play your music. The money per stream is tiny and varies constantly, but reach is what builds an audience and feeds playlists, algorithms and future opportunities.
Your storefront — Bandcamp being the standout — is about margin. When a fan buys a download or a record directly, you keep a far bigger slice than streaming will ever pay. So you use streaming to be found, and you use a storefront to be paid. Point your most engaged followers toward the place where their money actually reaches you.
What it costs and what you’ll realistically earn
Costs fall into two shapes. Subscription distributors (DistroKid, Ditto, LANDR) charge a recurring fee and let you keep your royalties. Pay-once or per-release services (CD Baby, and some TuneCore plans) charge upfront but don’t recur. Which is cheaper depends entirely on how often you release — frequent releasers usually win with a subscription; occasional releasers often win paying once. Because plans change regularly, always check the provider’s current pricing rather than trusting a figure you read somewhere.
On earnings, be realistic. Streaming payouts are measured in fractions of a cent per play and vary by platform, listener country and subscription type — no distributor can promise a rate. That’s why serious independent income tends to come from a mix: direct downloads, physical sales, merch, sync licensing and live shows, with streaming as the discovery engine underneath. Treat any headline “per-stream” number you see online as a rough average, not a guarantee.
Get your music sale-ready before you upload
None of these platforms will make a weak mix sound good. Before you distribute, make sure your tracks are mixed and, crucially, mastered to a competitive standard — a proper master is what lets your song hold its own next to major-label releases on the same playlist. If you’re deciding how to handle that final polish, our guide to the best online mastering services and our breakdown of AI mastering versus human mastering will help you choose. When you’re ready to prepare a release specifically for streaming platforms, follow how to master a song for streaming so your loudness targets are right.
If you’d rather keep mastering and distribution under one roof, a service like LANDR handles both — read our LANDR review before you sign up.
For more on the business side of an independent release, browse the full Music Business hub, and if you’re looking to fund your music by working on other people’s, see the best sites to find mixing clients.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to sell music online?
The cheapest entry point is usually a free-tier distributor like Amuse for streaming reach, paired with a Bandcamp page for direct sales, since Bandcamp costs nothing to set up and only takes a cut when you make a sale. If you release often, a flat-fee subscription distributor can work out cheaper per track than paying per release — compare current plans against how much music you actually put out.
Do I keep the rights to my music with these distributors?
Yes. Reputable distributors such as DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby and LANDR are non-exclusive, meaning you keep ownership of your masters and can take your catalogue elsewhere. Read each agreement, but you should never have to sign away your copyright simply to distribute — if a service demands your rights, walk away.
Should I use a distributor or sell directly to fans?
Use both. A distributor gets you onto every streaming and download store for discovery, while a direct storefront like Bandcamp lets you keep a much larger share when a fan actually buys. Streaming builds your audience; direct sales pay your bills. Running the two together is how most independent artists get the best of both.
