What Spotify promotion actually costs
Updated 5 October 2026 · 2 min read
Music promotion is priced in three completely different ways, and comparing them line by line is misleading because they are not selling the same thing.
The three pricing models
Each model prices a different unit of work.
- Per submission or per curator contact: you pay for each pitch, typically a few dollars each. The platform keeps the contact.
- Per campaign: a flat fee for a pitching run to a network, sometimes refunded if nobody reviews. The platform keeps the contact.
- Monthly plan: you pay for sending capacity, contact access, verification and tooling, and you keep reaching out as often as the allowance allows.
What you are really buying
In the first two models you are renting one pitch, and the relationship it produces belongs to the platform. In the third you are buying infrastructure: a mailbox that lands, contact data you can use repeatedly, and verification so you are not wasting sends.
That is why per-contact pricing looks cheap per pitch and expensive per release: you pay again for the same curator every cycle, and you never own the contact.
Working out your own cost per release
Count the contacts you want to reach, multiply by the per-contact price, and compare that with a month of a plan that includes a sending mailbox, verification and the contacts themselves. For any release touching more than a few dozen contacts, the plan model is usually cheaper and leaves you with something reusable.
What no price buys
No legitimate price buys a placement, a stream count or a reply. If the pricing is attached to a guaranteed outcome, the outcome is the product and it is being manufactured.
Our pricing
Plans run from $49 to $1,000 a month. Every paid plan includes a managed sending mailbox, free email verification matched to your email allowance, the contact library, AI assistance and campaign reporting. Higher tiers add parallel mailboxes, API access and larger allowances.
Frequently asked questions
Is pay-per-pitch ever better?
For a single release where you want a very small number of specific placements, it can be. For repeat releases it is usually the more expensive model, because you never keep the contact.
Why do some services charge per curator review?
They are pricing guaranteed attention from a curator who accepts paid review requests. That is a different product from organic coverage, and it should be described as such.
Are cheaper plans just limited?
They are limited in volume, not in capability. A $49 plan still includes managed sending, verification and the library — it just sends less.
Keep reading
- Music Promotion That Actually Works
Separating promotion that produces listeners from promotion that produces receipts: what you are really buying, and how to judge a service before you pay.
- Music Promotion Scams to Avoid
Guaranteed placements, paid blog features, fake A&R interest and royalty advance traps — how to recognise a promotion offer that cannot be delivered.
- How to Pitch a Spotify Playlist Curator
What curators actually read, why most pitches are ignored, and a template structure for a short, specific pitch that gets a listen.
- Building a Music Industry Contact List
How to build a contact list worth emailing: which categories to cover, how to verify addresses, and why a maintained list beats a scraped one.