do music PR firms guarantee coverage?
a firm can guarantee its own work, and it can guarantee a refund. an editor's decision is not the firm's to promise, so a placement that is guaranteed is a placement that was bought. both are sold. know which one you are paying for.
by Studio Raine, a music PR firm in New York. we sell some of what this guide describes, and our own prices are marked as ours.
updated
placements for sale, with the prices printed.
some sellers list coverage by the outlet, like a menu. VM Agency prints 53 single placements priced from $60 to $15,000 each (its page). Rising Artists sells placements and appearances on demand, from $75 to $25,000 (its page). Maximatic Media prints guaranteed article placements from $300 to $30,000 an outlet, with a refund if one fails (its page). that is a straightforward product: you pay, the piece runs.
what the FTC says about a paid opinion.
a paid write-up that reads like the outlet's own opinion falls under the Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides. the rule on connections between the endorser and the seller:
“When there exists a connection between the endorser and the seller of the advertised product that might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement, and that connection is not reasonably expected by the audience, such connection must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously.”
so a review that was paid for should say it was paid for. one that does not is not worth more to you. it is worth less, because the reader who finds out stops trusting it.
radio: paid airplay has to be announced.
“the station, at the time of the broadcast, must announce: (1) that such matter is sponsored, paid for, or furnished, either in whole or in part; and (2) by whom or on whose behalf such consideration was supplied.”
a station may be paid to play a record, as long as it says so on air and says who paid. airplay that is paid for and not announced is payola, and the penalty is a fine of up to $10,000, a year in prison, or both (47 U.S.C. 508).
playlists: Spotify bans guaranteed placement.
Spotify says a service that offers guaranteed playlist placement for money breaks its terms, and that music promoted through services selling streams can be removed (Spotify). its editors put it in ten words: "you cannot pay to get on an official Spotify playlist" (Spotify for Artists).
Wikipedia: no one can guarantee acceptance.
“No one can guarantee that an article will be accepted or protected; any such guarantees are lies.”
volunteers decide what Wikipedia keeps. what a firm can promise is its own conduct: a notability check before you pay for the article, a draft you read, a disclosed filing, and your money back if the article is not accepted. that is the guarantee on our Wikipedia page.
what can honestly be guaranteed.
| the promise | who controls it | can it be guaranteed |
|---|---|---|
| the media list, the release, the pitches, the report | the firm | yes. it is the firm's own work. |
| a refund if a result does not arrive | the firm | yes. it is the firm's own money. |
| a podcast booking | the host, case by case | yes, with a refund behind it. the firm keeps pitching until a host says yes. |
| a review, a feature, an interview | the editor | only by buying it, and then it is an advertisement. |
| an editorial playlist add on Spotify | Spotify's editors | no. Spotify says so. |
| a Wikipedia article being accepted | Wikipedia's volunteers | no. a refund can be. |
five checks to run on any firm.
- read what it guarantees, word for word. work, coverage, or a refund.
- ask whether any outlet on its results page is paid by the firm.
- look for its roster. the directory shows the roster page of 79 firms.
- look for a price or a minimum term on its own site.
- ask to see one weekly report from a past campaign, with the names removed.