Artists across Los Angeles and the United States want to make sure their work is given the attention it deserves and they all know that talent is not enough. You need to put yourself out there, not randomly, but carefully and strategically. In the interest of your success, we have curated a list of the best music PR firms below.
Our criteria?
Pretty simple:
- Proven track record
- Selection of PR services
- Client satisfaction
- Employee treatment
It’s worth noting that these companies were not solicited and money was not was exchanged in order to determine placement on our list. Instead, we took the time as dedicated entertainment industry professionals to research services, compile data, resource publicly available third-party reviews, and provide our opinion as you embark on your quest to build your team.
Location: Hollywood, CA, Est. 2008
Price Point: $$
Services offered: Music Publicity, Social Media and Spotify Marketing, Promotion Strategy
Music marketing requires as much strategy as it does support, and TREND delivers on both. This Los Angeles agency provides music marketing, PR branding, and social media services, prioritizing quality over quantity by keeping a low client-staff ratio in the interest of personalized attention. We found a quote we loved of their owner, Hunter Scott, saying “F*&k Press Releases” as a way of expressing the need for a personalized approach, and we agree wholeheartedly.
A Google reviewer noted, “as a manager, it is hard to find people that believe in your artists as much as you do. The whole TREND team is exactly that. They only work with artists they absolutely believe in & put their heart & soul into their work.”
Additionally, if the success of a company is determined by the way they treat their employees, you can trust you are in the best hands. An employee review on Glassdoor put it simply: “Great sense of inclusion. Really a high family feel. Openly communicative. Encourage growth.” We also learned that TREND provides full health insurance and 401(k) benefits, which explains their high employee retention.
The one downside we found is that TREND won’t allow you to try them out for a month or a one-off single release. They believe their longer contracts are part of the secret to their success. We emailed twice and the second time, we were told they may be able to be a bit flexible, but will still not consider a one or two-month campaign.
Summary: Proven results and happy clients at a lower cost than many of our other options on this list, social justice and inclusion initiatives, an emphasis on artist-publicist relationships and focus on social media and streaming marketing make TREND a modern and grounded music PR firm to partner with. TREND’s website states that 94% of their clients stay past their initial campaign term and we can see why. TREND seems to be the firm of choice for musicians, managers, and labels alike so you can feel good about who to trust with your next project’s marketing needs.
Location: West Hollywood, CA, Est. 1996
Price Point: $$$
Services offered: Promotional Campaigns, Event Management, Branding and Design
You would have a hard time not recognizing the brands that make up the AMW Group’s client roster. Vogue, Audi, and MTV are some of the recognizable players that have employed their promotional campaign, event management, and professional consulting services. Working mostly on a project by project basis rather than with consistent clients, AMW offers plenty of productized services, such as press releases, social media guides, and even Times Square ads.
Of course, we are focusing on music marketing, and AMW has no shortage of options for musicians. They are self-proclaimed industry leaders in music promotion for labels and artists, organizing tours and leading album publicity campaigns. As a Yelp reviewer states, “Mike and the rest of the people we worked with listened to what we wanted and were able to deliver. They also told us where we were crazy in our thinking! I really respect their expertise and attention to our issues.”
Exemplifying the hard work performed by the AMW Group team, an employee writes in their AMW review, “Really good culture plus upbeat and positive team members. Can be stressful at times to stay on top of tight deadlines.”
Location: New York, NY + Los Angeles, CA, Est. 2013
Price Point: $$$
Services offered: Social Media Management, Brand Partnership, Digital Marketing
A global presence, an impressive roster, and an extensive list of services make WMA a favorite among many entertainment companies. Despite their relatively recent entrance into the music PR landscape, they have managed to accumulate name talent and household brands under their umbrella, to the point in which they have an established presence in three countries and five cities.
Of course, this glitz and glamour comes at a cost. As an employee writes on their WMA review, “Team was on the surface easy-going, lots of time work done for nothing with extreme working hours. Nothing particularly against that but the team spirit and general rewards were lacking due to ultimately being limited developing within the company.” They later add, “Team was cliquey and at times felt not welcoming, and pay was low.”
In short, WMA can give you the status that you might be looking for, evidenced by the big brands on their client portfolio. However, this comes with an impersonal approach that is almost a given when dealing with players this big.
Location: Nashville, TN + Miami, FL + Los Angeles, CA + New York, NY, Est. 1950
Price Point: $$$
Services Offered: Content Marketing, Brand Integration, Immersive PR Experiences
The product of a recent corporate merger, Rogers & Cowan PMK BNC was born from two long-established PR companies. Despite the management reshuffling that took place as a result of this merger, seventy years of experience in the field cannot get lost that easily. They have a self-proclaimed “holistic approach to marketing,” by which they are “enhancing your connection to your audience”.
“Rogers & Cowan is an established entertainment public relations firm that opens a lot of doors,” writes an R&C reviewer. “The company works with a variety of high-profile clients that gives you the opportunity to work with some of the most recognizable names in the industry.” However, this sentiment is not considered by all their employees, one of whom writes on their review “Culture based in abuse and fear, unhappy employees work around the clock, concerns to management go unanswered”
While corporate mergers and management shake ups are always bound to create ripples across a company, their impact on the modern music marketing landscape is undeniable. Their experience across different areas of entertainment makes them a favorite of big players to this day.
Location: Studio City, CA, Est. 1990
Price Point: $$$
Services Offered: Event Marketing, Album Launches, Tour Press
Made up of a small personable team, Scoop Marketing aims at concentrating on their clients’ strategy as diligently as possible. This boutique music marketing agency mostly focuses on their clients’ tour marketing and everything that this entails. After all, they understand that an artist’s strongest asset is their outreach to the public. Album launches, tour press, and event marketing, their main specialties, come together to give a tour the promotion it deserves.
“The Scoop team executed a fantastic PR campaign for us,” writes a Google reviewer, “We appreciate their creativity, professionalism and attention to detail.”
Additionally, Scoop provides marketing and public relations services for non-entertainment events, venues, and businesses that may benefit from their hands-on approach to promotion in the digital age. Although some argue their six-person team is limiting in terms of the flow of ideas and innovation, the company takes pride in their high employee retention.
Location: Santa Monica, CA, Est. 1996
Price Point: $$
Services Offered: Radio Promotion, Online Publicity, Tour Press
The Planetary Group sees radio play as the key component in a musician’s marketing and promotion, which is why this is where they focus most of their efforts. They state that radio is not just about getting the music itself out there, but about increasing public interest and awareness through features, interviews, reviews, and local media. This, in turn, is how they promote subsequent album releases and tours.
The firm takes a personable hands-on approach to music marketing in order to ensure the satisfaction of their clients. In the words of a Planetary Group review, “Highly recommended to all folks in entertainment, especially those burnt out on publicists who could care less. The whole time I felt like my work was in great hands.”
However, The Planetary Group is not without its criticism, with a lot of it aimed at the CEO. GlassDoor reviewers remark that there is a “Complete lack of mentorship. Unorganized department” and that “The office is an open floor plan (read: no privacy), and the boss will often insult or critique employees within earshot of other employees. This all happens daily.”
Location: Los Angeles, CA / Portland, OR, Est. 2012
Price Point: $
Services Offered: Online Editorial, Press Releases, Playlist Marketing
Working off a two-person team, Impulse Artists might be as small as boutique agencies get. However, this team offers plenty of different music marketing services on mostly consultorial and project-by-project bases. By focusing on their clients’ content syndication and distribution, they claim to help artists and labels on their overall marketing strategy while providing them with partnership opportunities.
“My favorite quality about Impulse is that they don’t simply fill their quota,” says a review posted on their website, “but they look for the best opportunities and repeatedly go after them.”
While the small team might turn away some teamwork enthusiasts, Impulse Artists takes pride in their approach to music marketing and artist consulting. Their client roster, full of independent artists, showcases their comfort with their own size and belief in their work.
Location: Los Angeles, CA / Nashville, TN, Est. 2005
Price Point: $$$
Services Offered: Tour Marketing, Music Festival Representation, Immersive Festival Experiences
Formerly known as MSO, Schneider Rondan has been a big player of the music marketing scene for fifteen years. Their mission statement says they stand for music, culture, and lifestyle, which manifests in their focus on festivals and immersive experiences. The firm has embraced the changes brought forth by the digital music industry and the festival culture to deliver relevant PR results.
However, despite their claims of modernity, some claim that their outdated roster is a sign of a bigger problem. “A foot in the door to the world of music publicity,“ says an SRO PR review by an employee, “[but] office is uninspiring and alarmingly non-collaborative. Atmosphere is bleak and there is no semblance of a culture or interpersonal relationships. [...] Computers were archaic and cumbersome, freezing at least twice per day and crippling workflow. The company has been around a while but refuses to modernize.”
In the end, no one can scrub the big names off their portfolio, but it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that Schneider Rondan PR has seen better days.