Music Distribution Plans in India: Free vs Paid

What pricing models exist in Indian music distribution?

Four pricing models are in use in India in 2026: free with a revenue share, annual unlimited, per-release, and USD-priced global subscriptions. Choosing between them is an arithmetic problem, not a quality problem — store coverage is broadly similar and the difference is where the money and the risk sit.

When does free actually beat paid?

Free wins while your royalties are small enough that the revenue share costs less than an annual fee would. Below roughly three releases a year, or while monthly earnings are still building, a free plan with a stated share is the lower-risk choice because your downside is capped at zero.

The arithmetic is straightforward. On a 90/10 split, you give up 10% of royalties. If your annual royalties are ₹10,000, that share costs ₹1,000 — less than a ₹1,999 annual plan. If your annual royalties are ₹40,000, the share costs ₹4,000 and the annual plan is clearly cheaper. The break-even on those numbers sits near ₹20,000 of annual royalty income, and the honest advice is to stay free until you cross it.

T9music's Free plan has no release cap and no upload fee, with a 90/10 split in the artist's favour; the Pro Artist plan at ₹1,999 a year returns 100% of royalties. On both plans the artist retains 100% of the music rights. Full details are on the pricing page and the free distribution page.

What do global distributors cost an Indian artist in practice?

A USD-priced subscription costs an Indian artist more than its sticker price, because rupee-to-dollar conversion and cross-border card fees are added at payment. The larger cost, though, is functional rather than financial: global services generally do not deliver CRBT caller tunes to Indian telecom networks.

That gap matters because of where the Indian audience actually is. India's telephone subscriber base stood at 1,348.08 million at the end of June 2026 (TRAI subscription reports), and caller tunes reach that base through Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL. An artist with an Indian audience who cannot deliver CRBT has closed off a revenue stream that has no equivalent on Spotify or Apple Music.

Two further practical differences: support in Hindi and regional languages, and rupee billing without FX friction. We compare the specifics on the DistroKid alternative page, and the wider Indian field on the Indian distributors with CRBT comparison.

Which contract clauses decide the real cost?

The real cost of a distribution plan is decided by five clauses, none of which appear on a pricing page. Check all five in writing before moving a catalogue.

• Ownership. Distribution should never transfer copyright. Confirm the agreement is a licence to deliver and collect, not an assignment of rights.
• What happens on lapse. If you stop paying an annual plan, do live releases stay up? Removal erases play history and playlist placements that took years to build.
• Revenue share by stream type. Some agreements quote one share for streaming and a materially worse one for CRBT or YouTube. Ask for each number separately.
• Payout threshold and lag. A ₹5,000 minimum payout threshold on modest earnings means waiting a year to be paid. The reporting lag should be stated in months.
• Exit and exclusivity. Confirm you can migrate, how long a takedown takes, and whether any exclusivity survives termination.

How should you choose, in one paragraph?

Start free unless you already have steady royalty income, and prioritise CRBT delivery and rupee billing over the headline price if your audience is in India. Verify that you keep 100% of your rights, that live releases survive a lapsed subscription, and that the revenue share is quoted separately for streaming, YouTube and caller tunes. Once your annual royalties clearly exceed the cost of an unlimited plan, upgrade — and not before. If you are still deciding what to release first, the complete distribution guide covers the file specs, metadata and timelines end to end.