Where musicians and producers earn online
Musicians and producers distribute releases to streaming services, sell beats and samples, license music for videos, and take session or production work online.
Also for: singer, songwriter, beatmaker, DJ, composer
How musicians and producers earn online
- Distributing releases to Spotify, Apple Music and other stores
- Selling and licensing beats, loops and production music
- Session work, mixing and mastering for clients
Tip: Compare distributors on how they charge: a yearly fee, a share of royalties, or both.
What musicians and producers earn in the US
- Median pay an hour
- $47.80
- Employed in the US
- 36,200
US employees in the closest official occupation (SOC 27-2042), from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Freelance rates online vary widely by country, experience and platform, so treat this as a benchmark for what the work is worth, not what a platform will pay.
The top 12 platforms for musicians and producers, compared
| Platform | Type | Fees | Pays via | Who can join |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 CD Baby |
Music distributor | $9.99/single one-time + 9% of revenue | Bank transfer, PayPal | Worldwide |
 DistroKid |
Music distributor | Keep 100% royalties, subscription from $22.99/yr | Bank transfer, PayPal | Worldwide except Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela |
 TuneCore |
Music distributor | Keep 100% royalties on plans from $24.99/yr | Bank transfer, PayPal | Worldwide |
 Ditto Music |
Music distributor | Keep 100% royalties, subscription from ~$19/yr | Bank transfer, PayPal | Worldwide |
 Amuse |
Music distributor | Keep 100% royalties, plans from $23.99/yr | Bank transfer | Worldwide except Afghanistan, Belarus, Central African Republic, Cuba, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Zimbabwe |
 LANDR |
Music platform | Keep 100% royalties with subscription | Bank transfer, PayPal | Worldwide |
 UnitedMasters |
Music distributor | Free: 90/10 split, paid tiers keep 100% | Bank transfer | Worldwide |
 ONErpm |
Music distributor | Free distribution, 85/15 revenue split | Bank transfer | Worldwide (strong in Latin America) |
 Symphonic |
Music distributor | Starter $19.99/yr keep 100%, Partner 15% | Bank transfer, PayPal | Worldwide |
 Soundstripe |
Music licensing platform | Exclusive contributor deals, revenue share | — | United States |
 RouteNote |
Music distributor | Free: 85/15 split, Premium keep 100% | PayPal, Bank transfer | Worldwide |
 Shutterstock |
Stock content marketplace | Royalties 15%-40% by contributor level | PayPal, Payoneer, Skrill | Worldwide |
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Music distribution platforms
11 for musicians and producers
CD BabyA veteran independent distributor with no annual fees - pay once per release and CD Baby keeps a 9% commission on royalties.
Fees $9.99/single one-time + 9% of revenuecdbaby.comDistroKidThe most popular indie music distributor - unlimited releases for about 20 dollars a year, and artists keep 100% of royalties.
Fees Keep 100% royalties, subscription from $22.99/yrdistrokid.comTuneCoreA long-running distributor where artists pay per release or subscription and keep 100% of their streaming royalties.
Fees Keep 100% royalties on plans from $24.99/yrtunecore.comDitto MusicA UK distributor with unlimited releases on subscription and artists keeping 100% of royalties.
Fees Keep 100% royalties, subscription from ~$19/yrdittomusic.comAmuseA Swedish distributor with free and pro tiers where artists keep 100% of royalties on paid plans.
Fees Keep 100% royalties, plans from $23.99/yramuse.ioLANDRAn AI mastering and distribution platform - master your tracks and release them, with distribution taking a 15% commission on free plans.
Fees Keep 100% royalties with subscriptionlandr.comUnitedMastersA distribution and brand-deal platform for independent artists - free tier takes 10% of royalties, and the network pitches artists for sync and brand partnerships.
Fees Free: 90/10 split, paid tiers keep 100%unitedmasters.comONErpmA global distributor and label services company taking a 15% commission, strong in Latin America and with YouTube monetization tools.
Fees Free distribution, 85/15 revenue splitonerpm.comSymphonicA distribution company serving independent artists and labels, with royalty splitting, sync licensing, and marketing support.
Fees Starter $19.99/yr keep 100%, Partner 15%symphonic.comSoundstripeA royalty-free music platform that licenses tracks from contributing artists.
Fees Exclusive contributor deals, revenue sharesoundstripe.comRouteNoteA UK distributor with a genuinely free tier - upload at no cost and keep 85% of royalties, or upgrade to keep 100%.
Fees Free: 85/15 split, Premium keep 100%routenote.comVoice marketplaces
9 for musicians and producers
SoundBetterA Spotify-owned marketplace for music production - singers, producers, mixing and mastering engineers, and session musicians. Clients hire per project with protected payments.
Fees Commission per bookingsoundbetter.com
AirGigsA session musician and audio services marketplace where artists sell gigs for vocals, instruments, production, and mixing. Work is delivered remotely from home studios.
Fees Commission per gigairgigs.com
BackstageThe casting institution for actors and voice talent, listing thousands of paid acting, voice over, and content creation jobs. Owns Voice123 and Mandy.
Fees Talent subscription ~$24.95/mo, no commissionbackstage.com
Bunny StudioA managed creative services platform founded in 2012, fulfilling voice over, writing, and design projects through a tested pool of professionals.
Fees Freelancers set ratesbunnystudio.com
Voice CraftersA curated voice-over marketplace where professional voice actors take client projects.
Fees Flat 10% commission per projectvoicecrafters.com
VoquentA UK voice over agency-marketplace with a large searchable roster of voice actors in hundreds of languages and accents.
Fees Talent sets ratesvoquent.com
BodalgoA German-run voice over casting platform known for transparency and fair pay, connecting clients directly with professional voice talent.
Fees No commission, premium EUR 39.90/mobodalgo.com
Casting Call ClubA community for voice acting in games, animation, and fan projects, with both paid castings and portfolio-building roles.
Fees Free to join, paid gigs negotiatedcastingcall.club
MandyA global network for actors, film crew, and voice artists, part of the Backstage family, listing production jobs and voice work worldwide.
Fees Freemium + premium subscriptionmandy.comStock marketplaces
8 for musicians and producers
ShutterstockOne of the largest stock content marketplaces, with open contributor sign-up for photos, vectors, video, and music. Contributors earn royalties every time their work is licensed.
Fees Royalties 15%-40% by contributor levelshutterstock.com
Pond5The largest marketplace for stock video footage, also covering music and sound effects. Contributors set prices on footage and keep a revenue share.
Fees 30% royalty (40% exclusive video)pond5.com
EnvatoA marketplace network for digital assets like website themes, templates, graphics, video, and audio. Authors sell on Envato Market or earn from subscriptions on Envato Elements.
Fees Author share varies by exclusivityenvato.com
AlamyA UK stock agency known for paying contributors some of the highest royalty shares in the industry, with an unedited collection of hundreds of millions of images.
Fees 20-50% commission by tieralamy.com
DreamstimeOne of the oldest stock photo communities, with royalties that rise as an image sells more. Open contributor sign-up with image review.
Fees 25-50% royalty, up to 60% exclusivedreamstime.com
FreepikA Spanish graphic resources platform whose contributor program pays for vectors, photos, PSDs, and AI-generated content based on downloads.
Fees 50% revenue share per downloadfreepik.com
DepositphotosA stock content marketplace with 200+ million files, paying contributors per download with levels based on portfolio performance.
Fees 30-38% royalty by leveldepositphotos.com
Getty ContributorGetty Images contributor program where photographers and videographers earn royalties.
Fees 20% royalty photos, 25% videocontributors.gettyimages.comMarketplaces
2 for musicians and producers
DiscogsA marketplace and database where sellers list vinyl records, CDs, and music collectibles.
Fees Free listings, 9% fee on item + shipping (min $0.10, max $150)discogs.com
ReverbA marketplace where musicians buy and sell new and used music gear and instruments.
Fees 5% selling fee (min $0.50, max $500) + 3.19% + $0.49 processingreverb.comTutoring platforms
1 for musicians and producers
TutorfulTemplate marketplaces
1 for musicians and producers
Canva CreatorsFreelance sites
1 for musicians and producers
Twine