{"id":23842,"date":"2026-10-27T14:47:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T14:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interspacemusic.com\/blog\/a-0-distribution-fee-still-leaves-a-payout-fee-to-price\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T14:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T14:49:57","slug":"a-0-distribution-fee-still-leaves-a-payout-fee-to-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interspacemusic.com\/blog\/a-0-distribution-fee-still-leaves-a-payout-fee-to-price\/","title":{"rendered":"A 0% Distribution Fee Still Leaves a Payout Fee to Price"},"content":{"rendered":"

SoundCloud has charged a 0% distribution fee since November 2025, but payout fees of $0.50 to $25 still apply, and an international wire can take 29% of a small payout<\/a>. The fee that decides an artist’s net income is a fixed amount per payout, so the size and timing of each withdrawal matter more than the headline percentage.<\/p>\n

Two fee types, two different problems<\/h2>\n

A percentage fee and a fixed fee scale in opposite directions. A percentage fee takes the same share of every payout, whether it is $20 or $2,000. A fixed fee takes a large share of a small payout and almost nothing from a large one.<\/p>\n

SoundCloud’s international wire costs $10 a payout. That figure is the same whatever the balance, which is why it can consume 29% of a small withdrawal. Working backwards, 29% implies a payout of roughly $34. Every payout of that size loses nearly a third before it reaches the artist’s bank account.<\/p>\n

The fee schedule’s upper end matters too. At $25, a payout route costs more than a $10 wire does, and an artist who picks a route without checking the schedule can lose a large share of a modest balance. The range of $0.50 to $25 means the choice of payout method is itself a revenue decision.<\/p>\n

The break-even sizes for a $10 wire<\/h2>\n

The arithmetic is simple enough to run before any withdrawal. Divide the fixed fee by the share of the payout you are willing to lose.<\/p>\n