Mitch, you still may want to do both. There are some things that require being on Amazon; Pandora is one of them.

It's just that I try to discourage people from buying from Amazon if there is a choice.

The main cost difference for an independent artist is that Amazon will not stock your CD, so every time someone orders one, you have to pay to package it and ship it out, and go to the post office. CD Baby keeps a bunch on hand, especially when you've established a track record on which to base inventory control, so one shipment to them every so often is all that is needed. CD Baby doesn't charge an annual fee, just a one-time modest setup fee, and they are really good about accounting and prompt payment. CD Baby will also place your CD on all other downloadable services that you specify, and keep track of the accounting. Plus, now CD Baby can make you digital download cards, which many people at concerts increasingly ask for.

You can see why I'm a big fan of CD Baby.

BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.