
LANDR Distribution vs. Amuse Distribution: A Detailed Comparison for 2025
LANDR and Amuse are two popular music distribution services in 2025, especially among independent artists looking for budget-friendly plans. While both offer affordable options, they differ significantly in terms of features, flexibility, and extra tools beyond just getting
your music online. In this comparison, we’ll break down pricing, royalties, release speed, licensing, and everything else artists should consider when choosing between the two.
Comparing Costs
LANDR and Amuse both offer annual plans for their lowest cost music distribution subscriptions. LANDR starts at $23.99 per year for unlimited releases with their Distribution Standard Plan. The Amuse Artist plan also starts at $23.99, billed annually. For anyone not releasing tracks on a regular basis, LANDR will let you pay per release. LANDR’s single release costs $9 and album releases cost $19. Someone wanting to drop one or two projects in a year could end up paying less than they would with an annual plan, depending on their release frequency.
Note: Amuse no longer offers a free plan. Every artist pays at least $23.99 per year for the lowest tier plan. There are no extra commission charges for music sales under the Artist Plus plan, which helps those who focus mostly on uploading and collecting earnings from streaming stores.
Release Speed and Platform Coverage
LANDR distributes to 150+ digital stores, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, and others. Its release times can be as short as two days, which is fast. Amuse does not specify the exact number of digital stores they distribute to but states that they deliver to major platforms within 24 hours of submission.
Recommendations in 2025
● LANDR is best for artists who are not in a rush, but who value flexibility, rapidly advancing mobile app and advanced tools. It’s great if you want in-platform mastering, plugins, samples, collaboration, education, and the ability to pay only for what you use.
● Amuse is best for artists that need fast release speeds. It’s great if you value a top-tier mobile app and want unlimited releases for $23.99/year, without needing advanced promotion or collaboration tools.
Royalty Split Features and Artist Rights
LANDR and Amuse give users full ownership of their music, however they differ in the way that they handle royalty splits. LANDR automates royalty splits for its subscribers at no added cost, making collaboration easier for writers, producers, and groups who want automatic recurring payments. Amuse splits royalty payments but charges a 15% fee for this feature. Amuse has fewer customization options, leaving some users to handle splits manually if they have unique arrangements.
Cover Song Licensing
LANDR offers a cover song licensing service for a one-time fee of $15 per song, obtaining the mechanical license required for distribution. Amuse requires musicians to manage licensing for cover songs themselves and does not offer built-in tools for cover licensing. For music uploaded to YouTube Content ID, Amuse retains 15% of all ad revenue on its lower-priced tier, while LANDR retains 20% regardless of the plan. When it comes to standard music distribution royalties, both companies pay in full.
Interface and App Strengths
Amuse focused on a mobile-first model from the start. The app has been around for several years and offers ease of use, distribution analytics, and managing releases away from a computer.
LANDR’s web platform allows artists to upload music from any computer and access all the extra tools and plugins that LANDR offers with their Studio plan. Their mobile version also works very well, offering features for collaboration with other artists, mastering, music distribution and analytics as well as a new stem splitting feature. Value-wise, LANDR’s mobile app is easy to use, offers lots of capabilities that Amuse can’t offer and is growing in market share rapidly.
LANDR’s main web dashboard merges mastering, distribution, plugins, a samples marketplace and online music courses. Artists who enjoy working in a single browser window without switching services will appreciate LANDR’s interface.
What’s Included Beyond Distribution?
LANDR delivers more than basic track uploads. Some subscription tiers offer automated mastering powered by AI, an array of music courses, and creative collaboration spaces. LANDR’s Studio plans include access to over 3 million samples, a wide variety of VST
instrument plugins, DAW software and audio effects, all with unlimited usage for a very competitive yearly cost of under a hundred dollars.
Amuse offers basic mastering at a cost of $6 per track. Amuse has also partnered with Groover, allowing users to submit their work for playlist reviews and fan exposure at a 30% discount on Groover’s normal pricing. However, its upper plans often do not give much more than its main subscription, according to user feedback. Users looking for lots of new features by upgrading might feel limited.
Customer Support: Who Answers First?
User reviews show LANDR responds quickly to support questions, especially for paying subscribers. People working with distribution and mastering together find the platform logical, as all steps integrate on a single page. Amuse is frequently described as responsive and effective, though its tools focus more on upload and release tasks than production.
Accepted Content and Licensing Policies
Both companies accept all standard new releases, such as singles, EPs or full-length projects. Re-releases can be published without extra fees, and there are no unusual genre blocks or quirks. For cover songs, artists must arrange their own publishing rights before uploading with Amuse, while LANDR will manage this for a one-time fee of $15.
Payment Management: Getting Paid Made Simple
Artists can pull earnings when a balance is reached, with payout schedules in place. LANDR uses advanced payment splitting for collaborations, making it possible to pay several creators instantly from the same track. Amuse’s splitting system helps share royalties but is less flexible; for special income such as YouTube monetization, the breakdown gets less transparent due to the commission.
Direct Comparison Table
Feature | LANDR | Amuse |
Price/year (Unlimited Releases) Pay-per-release Platforms | $23.99 $9/single, $19/album 150+ | $23.99 Not available 150+ |
Release time | 2-7 days | 24h, processing times may vary |
Royalty split | Included, advanced | Included, less flexible |
Mastering | Included in bundles | Pay per use |
Mobile app | Feature rich and improving | Industry-leading |
Content ID | Included with higher tier subscriptions, 20% fee | Included with higher tiers, 15% fee on lowest tier |
Support | Fast, human support | Fast, human support |
Final Thoughts: Matching Tools to Your Releases
LANDR appeals to artists looking for integrated production tools, high-quality mastering, and straightforward control over split payments. Its flexible pay-per-release option can be cost-effective for occasional uploads, while frequent releasers benefit from the annual plans that include unlimited releases at a highly competitive price.
Amuse offers a streamlined mobile app experience with unlimited releases for a modest fixed price. While it covers the essentials for getting music to major platforms, it lacks built-in cover licensing, advanced promotion features, and the broader distribution reach that some artists may need.