Guide
DistroKid vs UnitedMasters: plans, SoundCloud and your codes
DistroKid and UnitedMasters both let you keep your earnings on paid plans, but they are set up differently. UnitedMasters' free plan doesn't distribute at all, and which stores you get depends on your plan.
Updated November 2, 2026
Short answer
DistroKid starts at $24.99 a year with one store list for every plan. UnitedMasters' free DEBUT plan doesn't include distribution, and its help page lists SELECT at $59.99 a year. You keep 100% on paid plans of either. UnitedMasters delivers to SoundCloud by request on paid plans, and DistroKid's store list doesn't name SoundCloud. UnitedMasters also lets you re-release with your original ISRC and UPC.
What to do, in order
List the platforms you need
Check the store list for any platform your fans use. A service can be missing from one company's list and offered as an opt-in by another.
Work out what you'd pay over time
Compare the yearly price with any cut of your earnings, and with what each extra costs, such as Content ID.
Check what happens if you stop paying
Some services take music down, some keep it up for a bigger cut, and some charge per release to keep it up.
Check you can keep your codes
If you are moving music, ask whether you can bring your ISRCs and UPCs. Keeping the ISRC helps a store recognize the same recording.
DistroKid and UnitedMasters side by side
Prices are in US dollars. The UnitedMasters plans page shows no prices, so check DEBUT+ there.
| Feature | DistroKid | UnitedMasters |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Musician $24.99, Musician Plus $44.99, Ultimate from $89.99 a year | DEBUT free, no distribution; DEBUT+; SELECT $59.99 a year; PARTNER by invitation |
| What you keep | 100% | 100% on paid plans |
| SoundCloud | Not on its list | By request on paid plans |
| Audiomack | Free opt-in | Listed |
| Content ID | Social Media Pack: $4.95 per single or $14.95 per album a year, plus 20% of ad revenue | $4.99 per release; UnitedMasters keeps 20% of gross Content ID royalties |
| Your own ISRC and UPC | ISRC on Musician Plus and Ultimate; UPC on no plan | Both, by choosing Re-Release |
| If you stop paying | Music can be removed unless the release has Leave a Legacy | You drop to DEBUT and releases come down; one year to resubscribe for automatic redelivery |
| Artificial streaming fee | Not described | Spotify's fees come out of your Wallet balance |
| Store change alerts | Ultimate: Spotify and Apple Music | Not described |
Not on its list means the company's public store list doesn't name it. It doesn't prove the service can't deliver there.
What each is better for
The biggest practical differences are the entry price and how you move music in.
- DistroKid has the lower listed yearly price, and its store list isn't split by plan.
- UnitedMasters suits you if you are moving music and want to keep your UPC, or want SoundCloud delivered.
- Check which stores your UnitedMasters plan delivers to, because delivery depends on your plan.
How Traxure helps
Traxure is not a distributor, and it works with whichever one you pick. If you have DistroKid Ultimate, Artist Profile Alerts already covers Spotify and Apple Music. Traxure checks your Spotify profile every 12 hours and your full catalog every day, and it also checks Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, TIDAL, SoundCloud and Pandora. It confirms a change with a second check, then emails you the before, the after and a note to your distributor ready to send. If you switch, Move Guard gives you your UPC, ISRCs and release details for the new distributor and tells you when it's safe to take the old upload down. Monitoring starts with a seven-day free trial.
Prices, store lists and terms were checked on each company's own pages on 2 November 2026. They change, so check before you decide.
Questions artists ask
Is UnitedMasters free?
UnitedMasters has a free DEBUT plan, but it doesn't include distribution. Distribution needs a paid plan.
Does UnitedMasters deliver to SoundCloud?
On paid plans, by request. You fill in a form and give your profile link. It isn't automatic.
What happens if I stop paying UnitedMasters?
You drop to DEBUT and your releases are taken down. You have one year to resubscribe for automatic redelivery, and after that the data is deleted.
Sources
- DistroKid: pricing
- DistroKid: services and stores
- DistroKid: album extras
- DistroKid: if you stop paying
- DistroKid: existing ISRCs and UPCs
- DistroKid: Artist Profile Alerts
- UnitedMasters: plan benefits
- UnitedMasters: SELECT plan
- UnitedMasters: DEBUT plan
- UnitedMasters: moving to a different plan
- UnitedMasters: monetizing on SoundCloud
Traxure
Know the same day, not weeks later.
Traxure checks your releases on Spotify and other platforms around the clock, confirms a change before alerting you and tells you what to do next. Seven-day free trial.
Pricing
Plans from $12 a month.
7-day free trial on every plan. Cancel anytime.
- Artist $12/mo
- Manager $69/mo
- Label $199/mo