LANDR vs CD Baby
These two charge for distribution in opposite ways. LANDR quotes a yearly subscription from as low as $24 per year and keeps music live after you cancel, while CD Baby takes one fee per release, $9.99 for a single or $14.99 for an album, with no annual fees. Both state distribution to more than 150 stores. LANDR's site is built around mastering and production tools as well, and CD Baby's homepage says you keep over 90% of revenue. LANDR does not show which plan covers which features.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose LANDR ifyou master and release from one account and want a yearly price with unlimited releases. You can check the pricing page for the plan you need, because the page quotes only a starting figure.
Choose CD Baby ifyou would rather pay once per single or album and never renew anything. You accept that the share CD Baby keeps continues for as long as the release earns.
LANDR and CD Baby side by side
| LANDR | CD Baby | |
|---|---|---|
| Our music distribution services rank | #6 of 11 | #7 of 11 |
| Established in | Canada | United States |
| List price, 8 November 2026 | As low as $24 a year, billed yearly; unlimited releases; named tiers not visible on the pages read | $9.99 once per single, $14.99 once per album; no annual fees; over 90% of revenue kept |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | — | — |
| Built for | Producers who master and release in the same account | Artists with a growing back catalogue who dislike renewals |
| Not for | Labels wanting dedicated catalogue management for many artists | Releasers expecting one bundled price including every promotion tool |
Both are reviewed in full in our music distribution services ranking: LANDR and CD Baby.
Where they differ
LANDR 3 · CD Baby 2 · open 1- 01
A yearly subscription against a fee per release
LANDR's distribution page says as low as $24 per year, billed yearly, and the pricing pages show no named distribution tiers. CD Baby charges $9.99 once for a single and $14.99 once for an album, and states no subscription fees and no annual fees or hidden costs. The cheaper route turns on your release count. A producer with many releases may favour the flat LANDR figure.
Depends on the buyer
- 02
What happens to your music if you stop paying
LANDR states that music stays live for as long as you want, even if you cancel the subscription, and lists no hidden fees. CD Baby has no subscription to cancel, since each release is paid once, so nothing lapses. That claim removes the usual fear of a yearly plan, though nothing we saw says whether new releases after cancelling are possible. CD Baby's model avoids the question altogether.
Edge: CD Baby
- 03
Revenue kept and stores reached
LANDR says unlimited releases, distribution to 150+ online music stores and that you keep 100% of your streaming revenue. CD Baby says 150+ streaming and download services, naming Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon, Pandora, YouTube and Deezer, and that you keep over 90% of revenue, with no exact commission given on the page we read. On the stated numbers LANDR keeps nothing and CD Baby keeps something, so LANDR wins this round.
Edge: LANDR
- 04
Mastering in the same login
LANDR sells distribution beside online mastering, plugins, samples and courses, so a producer can master and release without leaving the account. Its distribution page lists a release wizard, royalty splits, advanced metrics, Spotify for Artists access, promotion tools, cover song licensing and an opt-in $5 advance per eligible track. The site does not say which plans include these. The same breadth means distribution is one product among several, not the whole site.
Edge: LANDR
- 05
Extras beyond streaming at CD Baby
CD Baby's homepage lists CDB Boost, promotion tools, cover song licensing, physical distribution, and CD and vinyl manufacturing, without details or prices. That helps artists who sell physical copies at shows, which LANDR's pages do not mention. Our notes add that sync licensing and publishing collection need the CDB Boost add-on rather than the base fee. The homepage also claims over $1 billion paid to independent artists since 1998.
Edge: CD Baby
- 06
Montreal office, Audio and Video Labs and Virgin Music Group
LANDR's About page lists a Montreal office in Quebec, Canada, names no legal entity and states no owner or parent. CD Baby states no country: the privacy policy names Audio and Video Labs, Inc. d/b/a CD Baby, gives an EEA contact address in Amsterdam, and says the website is hosted in the United States. The footer links to Virgin Music Group, but no acquisition statement is given.
Edge: LANDR
When neither fits
If you want a distributor with a clearer European base or a flat yearly price with named tiers, neither is the obvious pick. DistroKid and TuneCore are the two alternatives we would compare next in our music distribution ranking.
LANDR or CD Baby: questions
3 answersWill my songs vanish from Spotify if I stop paying LANDR?
LANDR's distribution page says music stays live for as long as you want, even if you cancel your subscription. What changes for new releases afterwards is not described. Open the pricing page before relying on that for a catalogue.
Does CD Baby take a percentage of what my tracks earn?
The homepage says you keep over 90% of revenue after release, without an exact commission. Some of our notes describe a 9% share, but the homepage gives no such figure, so confirm it with CD Baby. Either way the share is not a one-time cost.
Is either company based in Europe?
LANDR's About page lists an office in Montreal, Canada. CD Baby states no country, though the privacy policy gives an EEA contact address in Amsterdam and says the site is hosted in the United States. Neither names a European parent.
Sources
Checked 8 November 2026- LANDR distribution page: the as-low-as $24 yearly price, unlimited releases, 150+ stores, 100% of streaming revenue and music staying live after cancelling.
- LANDR pricing page: general feature list without plan limits and the free account link.
- LANDR About page: the Montreal office address and the absence of any owner statement.
- CD Baby homepage: the $9.99 single and $14.99 album fees, over 90% kept, store list and extra services.
- CD Baby privacy policy: the Audio and Video Labs entity, Amsterdam contact address and United States hosting.