Compare
Notes vs DistroKid
DistroKid is a strong yearly distributor. Choose Notes when you also need publishing administration and collection, without a second vendor.
Best for Notes. Musicians who need DSP delivery plus PRO, MLC, and neighboring-rights registration in one account.
Best for DistroKid. Artists who only want unlimited DSP uploads and already have a publisher or PRO setup they trust.
Check what your own catalog is missing
Search your artist name. Notes checks your songs against The MLC, YouTube, SoundExchange, and the societies, and shows which ones went unmatched.
Pricing
What you pay
| Item | Notes | DistroKid |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, then $5 / month (musician). Companies from $100 / month. | Musician plan $24.99 / year billed annually. Plus $44.99 / year. Ultimate $89.99 / year. |
| Distribution royalty cut | None | None on listed plans (keep 100% of earnings). |
| Publishing administration cut | None | Not in the base distribution plan. |
| What you buy | Distribution + publishing administration + collection | Distribution (unlimited uploads) |
Features
What each product does
| Feature | Notes | DistroKid |
|---|---|---|
| Deliver recordings to DSPs | Yes | Yes |
| Register compositions with PROs and The MLC | Yes | No |
| Collect neighboring rights / SoundExchange | Yes | No |
| Two independent 100% pools per song | Yes | No |
| Flat fee, no royalty percentage | Yes | Yes |
Notes — strengths
- One account for distribution and publishing administration.
- No percentage of royalties.
- Each song has a recording pool and a songwriting pool. Each sums to 100% on its own.
Notes — limits
- Monthly musician price is higher than DistroKid’s yearly Musician plan if you only distribute.
- Notes is not a DistroKid clone. It is built for collection as well as delivery.
DistroKid — strengths
- Low yearly price for unlimited DSP uploads.
- Listed plans keep 100% of distribution earnings.
- Fast path if you only need stores.
DistroKid — limits
- Base DistroKid is distribution. Publishing administration is not the plan.
- Music can leave stores if you stop paying, unless you buy a separate keep-live option.
- You still need a publisher or PRO work for songwriting royalties.
Recommendation
Who should use which
Stay on DistroKid if you only ship recordings and already collect publishing elsewhere. Move to Notes if you want one vendor for recordings and songs, with no royalty cut.
Questions
DistroKid and Notes
- Does DistroKid take a cut of streaming royalties?
- DistroKid’s public Musician, Plus, and Ultimate plans say you keep 100% of earnings. That is distribution income, not publishing administration.
- Does DistroKid register my songs with ASCAP, BMI, or The MLC?
- The public DistroKid pricing table is a distribution plan. It does not replace publishing administration. Notes registers compositions with PROs, The MLC, and neighboring-rights collectors as part of the subscription.
- Does Notes take a percentage if I leave DistroKid?
- No. Notes is a flat subscription. It does not take a percentage of recording or songwriting royalties.
Public sources