TuneCore is the distributor most active independent artists settle on, for one structural reason: a flat annual fee (three tiers: Rising Artist $24.99, Breakout Artist $34.99, Professional $49.99) for unlimited releases and 0% cut of royalties. At any meaningful streaming volume, the maths beats per-percentage cuts (CD Baby’s 9%, label deals’ 15-25%+) decisively.
The calculator above estimates what you net via TuneCore given your stream count and the dominant DSP your audience streams from. For the full picture across multiple DSPs, run it once per platform using the stream split from your TuneCore stats page.
Why TuneCore wins at scale
The crossover point with percentage-cut distributors:
| Annual royalties | TuneCore ($18 flat) | CD Baby (9% cut) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200 | $18 | $18 | tied |
| $1,000 | $18 | $90 | -$72 |
| $5,000 | $18 | $450 | -$432 |
| $20,000 | $18 | $1,800 | -$1,782 |
CD Baby still has its place for very low-volume per-release sellers (no annual fee at all). Below ~$200/year of total royalties, the maths goes either way. Above that, TuneCore is unambiguously cheaper.
DSP rate variation in one place
This calculator estimates a single-DSP scenario. The real TuneCore statement has streams from all major DSPs simultaneously, and per-stream rates differ wildly:
- Spotify: $0.0028 / US premium stream
- Apple Music: $0.008 / US premium stream (2.85x Spotify)
- Tidal: $0.0099 / stream (3.5x Spotify, smallest user base)
- Amazon Music: $0.0042 / US premium stream (1.5x Spotify)
- YouTube Music: $0.0008 / stream (0.3x Spotify, mostly free-tier mix)
For an artist whose streams split 70% Spotify / 15% Apple / 10% Amazon / 5% other: - Per 100k total streams: ~$0.0028×70k + $0.008×15k + $0.0042×10k + $0.0028×5k ≈ $316 - Compared to a pure-Spotify equivalent: $280
The 13% uplift comes from the higher-paying DSPs picking up share. Most artists’ DSP mix tilts more heavily to Spotify than this — but the principle holds: Apple Music and Tidal exposure punches above its weight on revenue.
What TuneCore is and isn’t
Is: a logistics layer. Your music goes from your DAW to DSPs via TuneCore, royalties come back via TuneCore, splits and reporting are handled. From $24.99/year for the privilege. Before signing with any label or collaborator, a music recording contract template spells out who owns what.
Isn’t: a label, a publisher, a marketing service, a PR agency, a sync licensing connector, an advance funder. Everything beyond distribution is on you. For most active indie artists this is the right division of responsibility — labels’ historical 25% cut bought a bundle of services that streaming-era artists often source elsewhere or don’t need.
Tax: it’s all self-employment income
TuneCore royalties are US self-employment income from IRS’s perspective. Add to:
- Etsy sales
- eBay sales
- Mercari (if trading, not personal disposal)
- YouTube AdSense
- Patreon
- Anything else that’s income from your own activity
For the combined-income tax view, use the multi-platform tax aggregator. For TuneCore alone, the side hustle tax calculator handles single-source maths.
TuneCore will report your income to IRS under the 1099-K reporting once you cross $20,000 / 200 transactions in a calendar year (federal threshold). The IRS reporting checker covers what that means.