TuneCore just settled a $500 million copyright lawsuit with Universal Music Group. Their CEO stepped down in January. And parent company Believe is tightening its grip on the platform's direction.
None of that changes what TuneCore charges you today — but it's worth knowing who's behind the platform before you hand over your credit card.
Here's the full breakdown of TuneCore's pricing in 2026, what each plan actually includes, and where the real costs add up.
TuneCore's Current Pricing Plans
TuneCore moved from per-release pricing to an unlimited subscription model. There are four tiers:
New Artist Plan — Free
- Distribution limited to social platforms only (TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook)
- No Spotify, Apple Music, or other streaming stores
- TuneCore keeps 20% of what you earn
- No analytics, no publishing tools
Rising Artist — $24.99/year
- Unlimited releases to 150+ stores including Spotify and Apple Music
- 100% royalty retention
- Basic sales reports
- YouTube Content ID included
Breakout Artist — $34.99/year
- Everything in Rising
- TuneCore Social (social media distribution tools)
- Advanced sales reporting
- Cover song licensing (additional per-song fees apply)
Professional — $49.99/year
- Everything in Breakout
- Multi-artist support ($14.99/year per additional artist)
- Publishing administration (TuneCore takes 20% commission on publishing royalties collected)
- Priority support
- Sync licensing submissions
What TuneCore Doesn't Mention Upfront
The subscription price is only part of the story.
Publishing administration takes 20%. If you use TuneCore to collect your songwriting royalties — mechanical royalties, performance royalties, sync placements — they keep 20% of everything collected. On a song earning $1,000/year in publishing, that's $200 to TuneCore. Every year. Forever.
Cover song licensing costs extra. Every cover you release requires a mechanical license. TuneCore charges per song for this on top of your subscription.
The free plan barely qualifies as distribution. Social-only distribution means your music doesn't reach Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal, or any traditional streaming platform. And you give up 20% of the revenue from the platforms it does reach.
Multi-artist pricing adds up fast for labels and producers. At $14.99 per additional artist on the Professional plan, a small label with 10 artists pays $49.99 + (9 × $14.99) = $184.90/year. That's before any publishing commissions.
The Real Cost: Scenario Breakdown
Here's what TuneCore actually costs depending on how you use it:
Solo artist, streaming only (Rising plan)
- Annual cost: $24.99
- Publishing royalties collected: $0 (not using publishing admin)
- Total: $24.99/year
Solo artist with publishing (Professional plan)
- Annual cost: $49.99
- Publishing royalties collected: $2,000/year
- TuneCore's 20% commission: $400
- Total: $449.99/year
Small label, 5 artists with publishing (Professional plan)
- Annual cost: $49.99 + (4 × $14.99) = $109.95
- Publishing royalties collected across roster: $10,000/year
- TuneCore's 20% commission: $2,000
- Total: $2,109.95/year
The subscription fee looks affordable. The publishing commission is where TuneCore makes real money. If you're thinking about switching distributors, make sure you understand the full cost picture first.
Who Owns TuneCore — and Why It Matters
TuneCore is owned by Believe, a publicly traded French music company. Believe also operates its own label services division that directly competes with independent artists for playlist placements, sync deals, and audience attention.
In January 2026, TuneCore's CEO Andreea Gleeson stepped down. Believe's global head of music now oversees TuneCore's direction, and the company is openly prioritizing deeper integration with Believe's infrastructure.
In April 2026, UMG settled a $500 million lawsuit against Believe and TuneCore, alleging the platforms distributed widespread counterfeit tracks mimicking major artists. The settlement terms remain confidential.
None of this means TuneCore will stop working tomorrow. But it's context that matters when you're choosing where to build your music career. Your distributor holds your catalog, your fan data, and your revenue stream. Knowing who controls that platform — and what pressures they're under — is part of making an informed decision.
For a full breakdown of distributor ownership, see our complete ownership map. And for more on what the DistroKid sale means for artists, we've covered that too.
The Bigger Question: What Are You Actually Building?
TuneCore gets your music onto streaming platforms. So do DistroKid, CD Baby, and a dozen other distributors. The pricing varies, the features differ slightly, but the core product is the same: file delivery to DSPs.
The question worth asking isn't which distributor is cheapest. It's whether distribution alone is enough.
Streaming pays fractions of a cent per play. The average independent artist on Spotify earns under $500/year from streaming. No distributor changes that math — they just deliver the files.
What changes the math is selling directly to fans. A single fan buying a $10 album generates more revenue than 2,500 Spotify streams. A fan buying merch, tipping on a release, or subscribing for exclusive content generates more than tens of thousands of streams.
That's what direct-to-fan is: owning the relationship with the people who actually spend money on your music, instead of hoping an algorithm surfaces your track to passive listeners.
ALERA: Built for Direct-to-Fan
ALERA isn't a distributor. It's a direct-to-fan platform where artists sell music, merch, and exclusive content directly to their audience.
Every artist gets a release page where fans can buy, stream previews, and connect. Built-in fan CRM tracks who your buyers are. Email campaigns let you reach them directly. Subscription tiers let your biggest supporters pay for ongoing access.
What ALERA costs:
- Free ($0/month, forever): Smart Bio, Fan CRM, Private Music Library — 7% platform fee on sales
- Plus ($6.99/month): Unlimited releases, analytics, email campaigns — 5% platform fee
- Pro ($19.99/month): Full suite including merch, fan subscriptions, tip jar — 0% platform fee
No publishing commissions. No per-artist add-on fees. No 20% cut of your songwriting income.
TuneCore delivers your files to Spotify. ALERA helps you build a business around the fans who actually care about your music.
Start selling directly to your fans →
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does TuneCore cost in 2026?
TuneCore offers four plans: a free tier limited to social platforms (20% revenue share), Rising at $24.99/year, Breakout at $34.99/year, and Professional at $49.99/year. Publishing administration adds a 20% commission on collected royalties.
Does TuneCore take a percentage of royalties?
On paid plans (Rising, Breakout, Professional), TuneCore keeps 0% of streaming royalties — you keep 100%. However, if you use their publishing administration service, TuneCore takes 20% of all publishing royalties collected. On the free New Artist plan, TuneCore keeps 20% of all revenue.
Is TuneCore or DistroKid cheaper?
DistroKid's basic plan starts at $22.99/year for unlimited releases. TuneCore's comparable Rising plan is $24.99/year. Both include unlimited releases and 100% streaming royalties. The real cost difference depends on add-ons — DistroKid charges for features like Leave a Legacy ($49.99/year per release), while TuneCore's publishing admin takes a 20% ongoing commission.
Who owns TuneCore?
TuneCore is owned by Believe, a publicly traded French music company that also runs its own label services division. In January 2026, TuneCore's CEO stepped down and Believe's global head of music now oversees the platform.
What is TuneCore Accelerator?
TuneCore Accelerator is a playlist pitching and audience growth program powered by Believe's technology. It's enrolled over 515,000 artists and claims responsibility for 50 billion streams since launch. Participation is automatic for eligible TuneCore artists — there's no separate fee, but results vary significantly depending on your music's algorithmic fit.