At a glance
| CD Baby | TempoDigital | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay per release | $9.99 a single, $14.99 an album, paid once | $8.99 once per release — single, EP or album |
| Share of store royalties you keep | 91% (CD Baby keeps 9%) | 90% on the Release plan; 100% on the yearly plans |
| Yearly plan with unlimited releases | Not offered: there are no subscriptions | $29.99 a year for one artist (Artist) |
| Labels | No label plan on its price list | $149 a year for up to 10 artists, or Label Partner with no fee |
| YouTube Content ID | Included; CD Baby keeps 30% of social video money (YouTube, TikTok, Meta) | Included on every plan; we keep 20% |
| If you stop paying | Nothing to stop: there is no yearly fee | Releases stay in the stores; on a yearly plan only new deliveries wait |
| Publishing and sync | CD Baby Boost ($39.99) adds sync licensing and collection from SoundExchange and The MLC | Publishing administration, paid into the same wallet |
| Payouts | Weekly | Monthly statements; withdraw once your balance is above $70 |
Both charge once per release
CD Baby and TempoDigital's Release plan work the same way: you pay once, nothing is due each year, and the distributor keeps a share of what the release earns in the stores. CD Baby charges $9.99 for a single and $14.99 for an album and keeps 9%. We charge $8.99 for a single, an EP or an album and keep 10%.
The difference shows when you release often. CD Baby has no subscription, so every release costs its own fee. On TempoDigital, $29.99 a year covers unlimited releases for one artist and you keep 100% of store royalties; $149 a year covers a label with up to 10 artists. Compare our plans with the number of releases you expect in a year.
YouTube Content ID: 30% or 20%
Both include Content ID. CD Baby says it keeps 30% of social video monetisation — YouTube Content ID, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram — and pays you 70%, reported every quarter. TempoDigital keeps 20% of YouTube Content ID revenue and runs it from our own Content ID networks.
If your music is used a lot in other people's videos, that 10-point difference adds up. On TempoDigital, Content ID is for audio you control exclusively: no covers of other people's recordings, no uncleared samples and no non-exclusive beats.
Which one should you choose?
CD Baby may suit you better if
- You put out a single now and then and want a low one-off fee, from $9.99
- You want to be paid weekly
- You also want CDs or vinyl made and sold: CD Baby offers physical distribution
- You want sync licensing through CD Baby Boost
TempoDigital may suit you better if
- You release several times a year and want one yearly fee with 100% of store royalties
- You run a label of up to ten artists
- YouTube matters to you: we keep 20% of Content ID revenue rather than 30%
- You also need publishing administration or a YouTube channel partnership
- You are in the Balkans or the diaspora and want a team that speaks your language
Moving from CD Baby
Deliver each release again with its original ISRCs and UPC, wait until it is live everywhere, then remove it at CD Baby. Play counts and playlist placements normally carry over with the codes. If CD Baby collects your YouTube Content ID, it has to release the recordings before we can claim them. The steps are in how to switch distributors.