Music distribution platforms market themselves as DIY-friendly, but major labels, private equity firms, and publicly traded entities back the "Big Three." DistroKid offers unlimited uploads and 100% royalties for an annual fee, supports 100% AI uploads, but forces system-generated UPCs and extra add-on charges. TuneCore provides unlimited plans with 0% commission on paid tiers, integrated publishing via Sentric, and an intake funnel into parent company Believe, but bans 100%