DistroKid Launches Publishing Administration Service Powered by Kobalt at $75 Setup Fee

DistroKid launched DistroKid Publishing, a publishing administration service powered by Kobalt, on November 11. Eligible songwriters pay a one-time $75 setup fee and receive 80% of the publishing royalties collected on their behalf, with payouts sent to their DistroKid Bank accounts. Music Business Worldwide reported the launch.

How DistroKid Publishing Works With Kobalt

To qualify, songwriters and artists need at least one release on DistroKid and more than $50 in streaming revenue over the past 12 months. Only original songs, including co-writes, are eligible, which excludes covers, remixes and mash-ups. Fully AI-generated tracks do not qualify either, DistroKid says on its website. Songwriters face no long-term commitment and can leave the service at any time, according to the company.

Kobalt, which DistroKid describes as the world's largest independent music publisher, is powering the service. "The top request we've been getting from DistroKid members is for help collecting the music publishing revenue generated by their songs, something that has historically been very difficult for independent artists," said Phil Bauer, President of DistroKid. "Through this partnership with Kobalt, we're making it easier than ever for songwriters to collect the royalties they've earned, with just a few clicks from their DistroKid dashboard."

DistroKid first unveiled the service in a blog post on October 5, saying at the time that it was rolling out eligibility gradually. The service collects mechanical and public performance royalties, with payouts sent to artists' DistroKid Bank accounts, according to the company's website. A songwriter's first royalty payment arrives roughly six to nine months after their publishing earnings exceed $10, with quarterly payments after that.

Kobalt is now owned by Primary Wave, which completed its acquisition of the company on July 7 in a deal worth around $1.5 billion. Kobalt continues to operate as a standalone company led by CEO Laurent Hubert. In February 2025, Kobalt launched KOSIGN, a publishing platform aimed at emerging artists and songwriters, and estimated at the time that more than $1 billion in publishing royalties go uncollected every year.

DistroKid's Product Line Beyond Distribution

The service joins other DistroKid products that sit outside distribution, including DistroKid Direct, through which artists can sell music and merchandise to fans, and DistroVid, which delivers music videos to platforms including Spotify. According to akta.pro company records, DistroKid launched Direct in October 2025, a print-on-demand merchandise platform built on Bandzoogle technology that lets artists sell merch at no upfront cost and retain 100% of revenue above base costs. The same records list a valuation of $1.3 billion achieved in August 2021 following investment from Insight Partners.

Earlier DistroKid Deals and Disputes

On November 5, Musixmatch and DistroKid renewed their worldwide lyrics distribution partnership under a multi-year agreement, continuing DistroKid's Lyric Blaster service for distributing lyrics to streaming and social platforms, Music Business Worldwide reported. On October 28, Music Business Worldwide reported that Create Music Group acquired a minority stake in DistroKid, with CVC Capital Partners holding a majority stake and terms not disclosed. On September 15, Universal Music Group sued DistroKid, alleging unlawful practices and copyright infringement, including flooding platforms with AI-generated music, Music Business Worldwide reported.