What Should You Look for in a Music Promotion Company?

Written by YouGrow Promo · Published July 20, 2026 · Last updated July 20, 2026

The single most important thing to check before hiring a music promotion company is whether it will show you curator names, playlist links, or ad account access, since transparency is the clearest signal that a campaign is real. Everything else on this checklist matters, but this is the one that separates a legitimate service from a bot farm with a nice website (see our full breakdown of what separates legit services from bots).

The checklist

• Transparency. Will they show curator names, playlist links, or campaign screenshots, not just a "network size" claim? If they won't tell you where your money went, that's the whole answer right there.
• No guaranteed stream counts. Legitimate companies guarantee a listen or a placement chance. Nobody can honestly guarantee a specific number of streams without bots behind it.
• Review volume, not just review score. A 4.8/5 rating from 12 reviews tells you less than a 4.5/5 from 1,500. Check both the score and the sample size on Trustpilot.
• Track record and scale. How many artists has the company actually worked with, and for how long has it been operating? Longevity in this space is a meaningful signal, since bot-driven services tend to get flagged and shut down quickly.
• Multi-channel capability. A company that only offers playlist pitching can still be legitimate, but one that offers Spotify, YouTube, influencer, and paid social from a single dashboard gives you more room to diversify a campaign instead of over-relying on one channel.
• Reporting during the campaign. You should be able to see what's happening while it's running, ideally from a live campaigns dashboard, not just get a final report after the money's spent.
• Login and access requests. Be cautious of any company asking for your Spotify for Artists password rather than using delegated or read-only access. Legitimate platforms don't need your login credentials.
• Clear, upfront pricing. Costs in this industry commonly run $80 to $500+ per campaign depending on scope (see our full pricing guide). If pricing is vague or negotiated case-by-case with no published range, ask why.
• A real refund or guarantee policy. Reputable services will tell you upfront what happens if your submission isn't accepted or the campaign underdelivers.

Niche checklist questions for specific situations

What should I check differently for a PR/press-focused service versus a streaming-focused one?
For press marketplaces, verify the refund policy for zero-offer campaigns and check whether curators are required to respond at all (see our YouGrow vs. Musosoup comparison for how that model works). For streaming services, prioritize save-to-listener ratio reporting over raw stream counts.

How do I evaluate a company that only has reviews on its own website, not Trustpilot?
Treat that as a meaningful gap, not a neutral fact. Independent, third-party review platforms are harder to manipulate than testimonials a company controls and curates itself.

Should I be more cautious with companies that only accept payment via crypto or wire transfer?
Yes. Standard, reversible payment methods (card, PayPal) give you recourse if something goes wrong. A company that only accepts untraceable payment methods is a red flag worth weighing heavily against everything else on this list.

Is it a bad sign if a company won't tell me which specific playlists or curators it works with before I pay?
It's reasonable for a company not to guarantee a specific placement in advance, since curator decisions vary by submission. It's a different problem if they won't show you examples of past placements or any curator names at all, even after a campaign completes.

Red flags that override everything else

Even if a company checks most of the boxes above, walk away if you see any of these: pressure to pay immediately, no way to verify the company outside its own website, payment requests through untraceable methods, or "before and after" screenshots that can't be tied to a specific, verifiable campaign. For a deeper look at these patterns, see our guide on how to spot a music promotion scam.

FAQ

Is a high Trustpilot score enough on its own?
No. Pair it with review volume and specific mentions of transparency (curator names, real reporting) rather than generic five-star praise.

Should I be worried if a company asks for my music files or Spotify for Artists access?
Sharing your track for review or granting delegated (not password) access to your Spotify for Artists profile is normal. A request for your actual login password is not.

Does a higher price mean a safer campaign?
Not necessarily. Price correlates weakly with legitimacy. Transparency and review history matter more than cost.

How many companies should I compare before choosing one?
Two or three is usually enough to spot meaningful differences in transparency and pricing without spending more time researching than actually running a campaign.

Where can I see this checklist applied to a specific company?
Our head-to-head comparisons, like YouGrow vs. Boost Collective and YouGrow vs. SoundCampaign, walk through these exact criteria for specific services.

YouGrow Promo publishes current packages, pricing, and campaign scope at yougrowpromo.com, with a public Trustpilot history you can verify independently.