how much does a music publicist cost?
the sellers that print a price charge from $500 for one release to $10,000 a month for a retainer. most firms print nothing: of the 79 in our directory, 6 publish a figure. ours is $500 to $2,500 a month with a 3-month minimum, $1,500 to $7,500 for a release.
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
what a press campaign costs, where the seller prints it.
| seller | what is priced | price | term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lost Boy Entertainment | packages across all its services, not PR alone | from $500 a project | not stated |
| Cyber PR | music publicity campaign of 4, 6, 10 or 12 weeks | from $1,000 a campaign | 4 to 12 weeks |
| Rising Artists | retainer: indie press, Spotify playlists and podcast pitching together | $1,497 a month | not stated |
| AMW | custom campaign: press, radio, video and paid ads | from $1,500 a month | not stated |
| Studio Raine | press campaign: media list, release, pitching, interviews, tour press, weekly report | $500 to $2,500 a month | 3-month minimum |
| MPT Agency | PR for a single release, an album push, or a year-long retainer | $3,500 a release, $15,000 an album, or $3,500 a month | the retainer runs a year |
| Rising Artists | retainer: small and medium publications with selected larger ones | $5,000 a month | not stated |
| Rising Artists | retainer: major outlets only | $10,000 a month | not stated |
these rows are not all the same product. AMW's figure covers press, radio, video and ads in one fee. Rising Artists' $1,497 bundles playlists and podcasts with press. Lost Boy's $500 is the floor for everything it sells. Cyber PR and MPT price by the campaign as well as by the month. a monthly fee and a campaign fee only compare once you multiply the monthly one by its minimum term.
what one release costs.
| seller | what is priced | price | term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rising Artists | three blog reviews for one release | $97 | not stated |
| Rising Artists | seven reviews, a press release on 15 sites and a written interview | $997 | not stated |
| Pressed Fresh Collective | three PR packages for one release. the two cheaper ones add a $250 newswire fee | $500, $1,500 or $5,000 | not stated |
| VM Agency | single placements sold by outlet: 53 listed | $60 to $15,000 each | not stated |
| Rising Artists | single placements and appearances sold on demand | $75 to $25,000 each | not stated |
| Maximatic Media | guaranteed article placements sold by outlet, with a refund if one fails | $300 to $30,000 each | not stated |
| Blue Leopard Media | sponsored features, which the site says are not a publicist campaign | $199 for one, $499 for three | not stated |
the rows that sell a placement by the outlet are a different thing from the packages above them. a placement bought by the outlet is paid space. the guarantee guide shows how to tell it from coverage an editor chose.
what a press release costs.
| seller | what is priced | price | term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rising Artists | press release written and placed on 10 or more music sites | $297 | not stated |
| High Road Publicity | press release, on a price page its own menu does not link to | $500 | not stated |
| SmoothJazz.com | press release, writing only | $499 | not stated |
| Studio Raine | press release written, sent to a media list built for it, one follow-up, a report | $500 | not stated |
what the guides say it costs.
these are estimates published by sites that sell or rank PR. none is a rate card. they are here because they are what most artists read first, and because they agree with each other more than the price lists do.
| seller | what is priced | price | term |
|---|---|---|---|
| musicprfirm.com | its guide's range for music publicity | $1,000 to $5,000 a month | says most firms want 2 to 3 months |
| bestmusicprcompanies.com | its guide's range for an independent artist | $1,500 to $3,000 a month at entry level, $3,000 to $8,000 mid-tier | says to budget 2 to 3 months |
| AMW | its pricing guide's range for monthly retainers | $2,000 to $10,000 a month | not stated |
| AMW | its pricing guide's range for emerging artists | $1,500 to $5,000 a month | says most firms want 3 months |
the minimum term is half the price.
a monthly fee means little without the minimum. Cyber PR sells campaigns of 4 to 12 weeks. Two for the Show Media says it works with a client for at least six months and sends no invoice after the third. Jazz Media and More says a project typically runs three to six months. ours is 3 months, so a release is $1,500 to $7,500.
what a publicist earns, for scale.
the US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage for public relations specialists at $74,750 a year as of May 2025 (BLS). that covers every industry, not music, and it is a salary, not an agency's fee. it is the nearest official number there is.
four questions to ask before you pay.
- what does the fee include. get the list in writing.
- what is the minimum term, and what does the whole term cost.
- what is guaranteed: the work, the coverage, or a refund.
- does any part of the fee pay an outlet for a placement.