Is music promotion worth it? PR, playlists and ads, judged by your goal
Music promotion is worth it when you name one goal first. Spotify pitching, YouTube ads, press and Meta ads each serve a different goal, and each has limits no seller can remove.
Want this done for you? See our YouTube music video promotion service. Related reading: Legit music promotion vs scams · Music marketing budget · Best music promotion services. Or browse all music guides.
Key takeaways
- Name the goal before the route: streams, views, credibility or ticket buyers. No single route serves all four.
- Spotify says no one can pay to be added to an editorial playlist, and that paid services guaranteeing streams are not legitimate. Pitching is a form you submit at least 7 days before release.
- Google charges for a YouTube view when someone watches 30 seconds or interacts. Blue Leopard Media guarantees a minimum of Google Ads views from $249 per release, not streams.
- We found no neutral study linking press coverage to ticket sales, so judge a feature as credibility. Paid features are labelled sponsored.
The short answer
Music promotion is worth it when one goal picks the route, and not worth it as a way to buy numbers. For views, a YouTube campaign is measurable. For credibility, a labelled feature or earned press fits. For streams, Spotify's own pitching is the legitimate route. One distributor's advertising specialist suggests $500 to $1,000 for a single release's ads.
Streams and views
Streams. The legitimate route is Spotify for Artists. You pitch one unreleased song at least 7 days before release, and Spotify says pitching does not guarantee placement. Is playlist pitching worth it? The form is, since it also puts the song on your followers' Release Radar. Paying for placement is not: Spotify says any service claiming guaranteed placement for money violates its terms, and that paid services guaranteeing streams are not legitimate. Its display campaigns, Marquee and Showcase, need at least 1,000 streams in the last 28 days in a target market, so they do not help a first release. Confirmed artificial streaming can mean withheld royalties, corrected public numbers and removal from playlists.
Views. On YouTube, Google charges under CPV bidding when someone watches 30 seconds of your video, or all of it if shorter, or interacts. Our music marketing runs your video as a Google Ads campaign with a guaranteed minimum of views: Starter is 15,000+ worldwide views plus one feature for $249, about $16.60 per 1,000 including the feature. The limit: views are not streams, and YouTube decides what counts toward your public view count. Choose it when you have a video worth watching and want a number you can read each week: the campaign comes with a weekly Google Ads report on views, cost and watch time.
Credibility and press
Promoters, bookers and fans look you up before they commit, and a feature gives them a page to find. Ours is written for you, carries your own digital cover and goes live within 24 hours of your approval. It is sponsored and labelled: the FTC's native advertising guide calls it deceptive to mislead people about the commercial nature of content.
Earned press from a publicist is slower and quoted per campaign; see how much music PR costs. The limit is the same for both: we found no neutral study tying coverage to ticket sales or streams, so treat it as proof of who you are, not a sales channel.
Fans who buy tickets
This goal is closest to advertising. Meta describes its Sales objective as finding people likely to purchase, Traffic as sending people to a destination and Leads as collecting sign-ups. Send fans to a page you own so Meta can see what happens next; Facebook and Instagram ads for musicians explains how. The limit: Meta cannot promise tickets, and we found no neutral cost benchmark. Email sign-ups let you reach the same fans again at your next release or show.
How the routes compare
How the options compare:
| Playlist pitching | Music PR | Paid ads (Meta or YouTube) | Blue Leopard Media | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serves | Streams | Credibility, press | Views, tickets, sign-ups | Views and credibility |
| Cost | Placement cannot be bought, Spotify says | Quoted per campaign by each publicist | Your spend; one specialist suggests $500 to $1,000 a release | From $249 per release |
| What is guaranteed | Nothing | Terms vary by provider | Nothing | A minimum of Google Ads views |
| Time to start | Pitch at least 7 days before release | Varies by publicist | After ad review | Campaign once Google approves the video; feature within 24 hours of approval |
| Best for | A song you can still pitch before release | Earned coverage and long relationships | Tickets, sign-ups and full control | A video seen plus a page to find |
Playlist pitching and Meta ads serve goals our offer does not: it is views and a labelled feature. Decide before you spend which one number will show it worked: sign-ups, tickets sold or watch time. Send us your goal and release date and we will say which route fits.
Sources
- Spotify for Artists Help: Pitching music and videos to Spotify playlist editors
- Spotify for Artists Help: Artificial streaming and paid 3rd-party services that guarantee streams
- Spotify for Artists: Share new music for playlist consideration
- Spotify for Artists Help: Getting started with display campaigns
- Google Ads Help: About video ad formats
- FTC: Native advertising, a guide for businesses
- Hypebot: Creating a marketing budget for an independent artist (30 Jul 2021)
- Meta Business Help Centre: Choosing Meta Ads Manager advertising objectives
Frequently asked.
Is music promotion worth it?
Yes, when you name one goal and match the route: Spotify pitching for streams, YouTube ads for views, press for credibility, Meta ads for tickets. It is not worth paying for numbers, which Spotify says are not legitimate.
Is playlist pitching worth it?
Pitching through Spotify for Artists is, as long as you submit at least 7 days before release. Spotify says pitching does not guarantee placement, and that services promising placement for money violate its terms.
Does playlist pitching work?
Sometimes. Spotify says its editors might pick a different song than the one you pitched, and a pitch made 7 days ahead also puts the song on followers' Release Radar. Nobody can promise an add.
What is the best way to promote a song?
It depends on the goal. Pitch Spotify before release, run YouTube ads for views, use a feature or press for credibility and Meta ads for tickets. Start with one goal and a budget you can spend.
Keep reading.
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Read the guideA release planned around your date.
A YouTube campaign with guaranteed Google Ads views plus an editorial feature with your own digital cover, from $249 per release, planned around your release date.