iMusician (2026 update)

iMusician is a mixed-model music distribution service offering both Pay-per-Release pricing and annual subscription plans. Unlike most subscription distributors, iMusician’s “Online Forever” model allows your releases to stay in stores even if you cancel, with a commission applied.

The last time I reviewed iMusician was about three years ago, and I wasn’t impressed. Today, the offer is noticeably improved, and depending on your release schedule and what you actually need, iMusician can be a better deal than some of the “big name” competitors.

Here’s what’s great, good, bad, and ugly about iMusician, with quick competitor comparisons so you know where it stacks up.

iMusician Pricing Breakdown

Pay-per-Release Model

Starter

• $9 per release (one-time fee) for Singles, Albums, and any other release type

  • 10% commission

Rockstar

• $69 per release

• Includes YouTube Content ID

• Includes Editorial Playlist Pitching

Subscription Model

Features

Amplify ($39 annually)

• Online Forever: Yes

• 200+ Shops: 2 releases per year (pay extra to add more)

• Content ID: 10 releases per year

• Instant Mastering: 1 track per year

• 0% commission: Yes

• Email customer support: Yes

• Video consultation: No

• Revenue splits: No

• UPCs: Yes (bring your own)

• Changes: $10

• Custom Label & Label Registration: $20

• Editorial Playlist Pitching: $20

• iMusician Rewards: 50 Amps per month

Amplify+ ($79 annually)

• Online Forever: Yes

• 200+ Shops: Unlimited

• Content ID: Unlimited

• Instant Mastering: 2 tracks per year

• 0% commission: Yes

• Email customer support: Yes

• Video consultation: $20 per session

• Revenue splits: Yes

• UPCs: Yes (bring your own)

• Changes: Yes

• Custom Label & Label Registration: Yes

• Editorial Playlist Pitching: Yes

• iMusician Rewards: 100 Amps per month

Amplify Pro ($299 annually)

• Online Forever: Yes

• 200+ Shops: Unlimited

• Content ID: Unlimited

• Instant Mastering: 10 tracks per year

• 0% commission: Yes

• Email customer support: Yes

• Video consultation: Included

• Revenue splits: Yes

• UPCs: Yes (bring your own)

• Changes: Yes

• Custom Label & Label Registration: Yes

• Editorial Playlist Pitching: Yes

• iMusician Rewards: 100 Amps per month

Great

Keep Music in Stores

iMusician’s subscription plans come with the ability to keep your music in stores.

If you cancel your plan (or have your plan canceled) but don’t self-remove your releases, iMusician will keep them live and take a 10% commission.

That’s a much better deal than the distributors that either remove your music entirely, or keep it online while freezing your royalties until you reactivate.

Who else does this?

• LANDR: Takes a 15% commission | Full Comparison 

• Amuse: Takes a 25% commission | Full Comparison 

• DistroKid: Charges $29 per single or $49 per album for Leave a Legacy | Full Comparison 

• Ditto: Keeps music in stores, but keeps 100% of royalties until your subscription is reactivated | Full Comparison 

• Record Union: Keeps music in stores, but keeps 100% of royalties until your subscription is reactivated | Full Comparison 

Video Consultation

For $20 per session, you can schedule a live video consultation with iMusician support staff.

It would have been great if this were included in the lower plans, but the fact that it exists at all is notable. Other distributors offer you no options beyond email support, and you can’t even pay extra for better help when something goes wrong.

If your release is broken, mapped to the wrong artist page, delayed, or taken down, $20 for real-time support is a small price to pay.

Who else does this?

Venice Music video chat isn’t heavily advertised, but it can be an option.

The difference is Venice positions support as a premium feature tied to a high annual price. You pay $499/year for White Glove support whether you need it or not.

Most artists don’t need high-touch support 24/7. They need it once or twice per year, when they NEED it.

With iMusician, that could cost you an additional $40 max, tacked onto a subscription fee of $79, making it far more cost-effective.

Flexibility

You’re not locked into anything.

Features like adding a custom label name, making changes to a release, and getting faster support are often locked behind higher-tier plans with most distributors.

iMusician allows you to pay once for what you need, when you need it.

Adding a custom label name happens once. It makes no sense to have to upgrade or pay a higher price annually just to add one.

Scale

Charging separately for live video support means less pressure on resources.

If a company charges you $20 annually, everything it offers has to fit within that price, or it loses money. That’s how you end up with slow, low-quality support.

iMusician built a model that keeps distribution affordable while avoiding one of the biggest weak points in this industry: customer support.

Good

No US Tax Withholding (For Many Artists)

If you reside in a country that doesn’t have a US tax treaty, you may be subject to having up to 30% of certain US-sourced royalty income withheld.

iMusician is based outside the US, which can reduce how often this becomes a problem, depending on your location and how royalties are being processed.

Who else does this?

Amuse can help avoid tax withholding, but you may be limited to fewer stores and weaker royalty reporting.

Transparency

iMusician highlights its Trustpilot rating and links directly to the platform.

That takes confidence.

A lot of music companies hide reviews, cherry-pick testimonials, or rely on affiliate hype. Linking you straight to public reviews is a sign they aren’t scared of what you’ll find.

No Exclusivity

This is becoming more common in distribution, but it still matters.

Many distributors now require exclusive rights to releases distributed through them, including CD Baby, SoundCloud, SoundOn, and others.

You rarely need multiple distributors for the same release, but you might. A distributor may not have an agreement with a DSP, or the agreement may be unfavorable, and you may want to use another distributor for that DSP specifically.

If you’re not subject to exclusivity, you’re free to do that.

iMusician doesn’t restrict your freedom here.

No Extra Fees for Extras

Music mixed in Dolby Atmos and distributed to Beatport can inflate your costs with services like TuneCore and DistroKid, which charge extra fees.

iMusician includes these features in your distribution package.

Easy Termination

You can cancel anytime and have it applied immediately.

You’re not subject to being treated like an employee, where you have to give notice and remain subject to the terms for 30 days or more while the cancellation process plays out.

Terms (No Class Action Waiver + Right to Audit)

Two notable aspects of iMusician’s terms are:

• The lack of a class action lawsuit waiver

• A right to audit

It’s now common for distributors to restrict users from participating in class action lawsuits, which is a tactic of disempowerment. People without great financial means are stronger moving as a group.

Audit rights are even rarer.

The only other distributor I’ve seen grant users the ability to audit was CD Baby, but that language appears to have been removed from their terms.

Who restricts class action lawsuits?

• CD Baby | Full Comparison 

• TuneCore | Full Comparison 

• United Masters | Full Comparison 

• ONErpm | Full Comparison 

Who grants audit rights?

No distributor I could find.

Bad

Clarity on Primary Artists

A release rarely has a second primary artist, but it happens.

Normally, if you’re a self-releasing artist, you’re the only primary artist. But if you do a deep collaboration, it can be beneficial to list yourself and the collaborating artist as primary artists.

This can:

• give both artists access to streaming stats

• place the release as a main release on both profiles

• create stronger algorithmic benefits than a standard “feature” credit

iMusician refers to primary and secondary artists, but doesn’t clearly specify whether secondary artists are:

• featured artists, or

• additional primary artists

That distinction matters because iMusician may require a higher plan or extra payment to add primary artists.

A clearer statement would help, especially for artists who aren’t labels and don’t need long-term “multi-artist management” features.

Ugly

20% Commission for Content ID

Taking a 20% commission on YouTube Content ID means you don’t truly keep 100% of your revenue.

It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s worth calling out because “0% commission” should mean exactly that.

Uncapped PayPal Fees

This one is ugly, but it’s self-inflicted.

If you withdraw via PayPal, you’re subject to PayPal’s standard fee (typically around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), uncapped.

A lot of distributors cap withdrawal fees (for example, a max of $1 in the US or $20 internationally).

The good news is you can avoid PayPal entirely by withdrawing directly to your bank account. If your bank doesn’t charge fees, you pay nothing.

Who is iMusician best for?

iMusician is best for:

• Artists who release a few times per year and want flexibility without being trapped in a forever subscription

• Artists who want their music to stay online even if they cancel (without paying “Leave a Legacy” fees)

• Artists who value the option of paid live support when something goes wrong

• Artists who want extras like Beatport and Dolby Atmos included without a bunch of add-on charges

• Labels or teams that need splits and basic collaboration tools without jumping into a high-cost “white glove” plan

It may not be ideal for:

• Artists who need heavy label infrastructure, advanced multi-artist management, or constant high-touch support

• Artists who rely heavily on YouTube Content ID income and don’t want a 20% commission on that revenue stream

• Anyone who expects unlimited releases at the lowest price without any trade-offs

Final Verdict

iMusician has improved.

The pricing structure is cleaner, the flexibility is better than most subscription-first distributors, and the “Online Forever” model gives you a way to keep your catalog live without paying forever.

Just go in with clear expectations around:

• how primary vs secondary artists are treated

• the 20% Content ID commission

• payout fees depending on your withdrawal method

If those don’t bother you, iMusician is a legit option in 2026.