top of page

Is Decent Music PR A Scam?


At Decent Music, we encourage all our artists, and everyone that we speak to, that you are right to approach any marketing of your music with some level of skepticism. Music PR and promotions can certainly be a murky world, and there are lots of companies out there that always seem to offer a ‘big discount’ and promise  large streaming numbers for a quick one-time purchase. A lot of this is facilitated by using fake streams from bot farms, or users that are paid small amounts to stream songs multiple times. This is never going to really help you to find new fans, engage with real listeners or ultimately progress you in your music career.


We get it, the music industry is full of people that promise the world and deliver very little. We started Decent Music PR because we are a team of artists, producers and music lovers, and we are tired of shady practices, scammy bot streams and broken promises. 


We created this article to provide a fully transparent, behind-the-scenes look into Decent Music PR, who we are, what we do and we are different from these scam companies.


Who We Are and Why We’re Different


Our founders, Anna Stephens and Alfie Cattell are both artists in their own right. Anna is an accomplished music journalist and has an incredible knowledge of the world of press, and Alfie is an established music producer and has, and continues to, work with major labels and successful artists on music. The whole of the Decent Music PR team are either artists themselves, come from a management background, or otherwise have worked in the industry - it’s a core value of Decent’s that we always look for team members with an actual passion for music, and with understanding of the industry and what’s really going to help artists to reach their goals.


We are ‘By Artists, For Artists’ - but what does that mean? It means that we really understand the struggle, we understand how much energy, passion and effort goes into creating your music - but so many artists then don’t have time, energy or budget left to invest in the promotion and release of their artwork. Without a release strategy that is defined by your goals, and your own skills, releasing can really feel like dropping your art into a big black hole and hoping that you see it rise back, and we want to help guide you with up to date information, campaign ideas, and advice on when the right time to invest in which services is right for you.


Many PR’s and music marketing agencies are out for your money, and it’s completely key to our mission that we are not just someone else looking for a quick buck and take away from your recording budget. Our services are set up as paid packages and the reason for this is that we don’t want to take ownership of your music, we believe in owning your own masters - but more importantly we don’t want to tie you into any difficult contracts - our services have a clear beginning, middle and end.


Our Vetting Process: Why We Don't Accept Everyone.


Our whole business is built on reputation and building lasting relationships with real tastemakers, playlisters, journalists, outlets, radio presenters, and artists. Therefore, our word is important to us - we only work with artists and music that we genuinely believe in, and know that we can actually effectively help to promote. This is why we don’t accept all music, and is why we reach out to artists directly. Our Artist Liaison team spends a lot part of each day actually listening through music and finding contact details for the music and artist that they come across that they like. 


So why have I got an email from Decent Music PR? If you have been reached out to by someone from Decent Music directly about your music, then our team has found you through Spotify, Soundcloud or their local networks and wants to speak with you about your release plans. You are NEVER obligated to buy anything from us, and it’s an important part of our process to get to know you and your goals as an artist before just pitching you our services.


We do also get a lot of submissions from our website and from other sources too, and for these submissions, we guarantee that we will always take the time to listen to your music. We are looking out to hear the quality of the overall mix, the skill of the songwriter, the marketability, and somewhat most importantly where you music fits (or doesn’t) with our existing relationships and catalogue. If we like your music and know that we have the reach to help you out, or just need to know more, this is when our team will reach out directly to you to book a call in to get to know you more, and help to define your goals for the future with your music, and your ‘brand’ as an artist.


Our commitment to being selective ensures that we work exclusively with artists that we really believe in, and are confident in our ability to help. We will never try to sell anyone a service that won’t help them.


Industry Red Flags, and How Decent Music PR Avoids Them


Red Flag 1: Music promotion companies using bots to get you streams.


Let’s be clear, bots are a scam and do nothing but damage to your music promotion. A lot of playlisting services where you get just pay for one-size-fits all ‘cheap’ package rarely involve bot streams, and even paid-to-listen human streams which also don’t find you new fans or help streaming services algorithms learn who exactly to push your music to.

Decent Music does not use bots, or buy streams for any campaigns. Our Playlisting campaigns involve humans pitching to real tastemakers and playlist curators. Weekly we quality check all the playlists on our roster and we ensure playlists are not botted. One way that we do this is by using Chartmetric to check on the playlist traffic to ensure that it is all natural. We partner with Chartmetric and are happy to offer a three month free trial to the software, and any of our team would be happy to show you how to check this on a call! If you want to make the most of this free trial, or check if your music is in any botted playlists, please sign up here.


Red Flag 2: Music PR companies offering quick, low-quality placements.


Sadly - Ill timed, or low quality PR is not going to suddenly provide you with a new fan base, and landing on irrelevant blogs that no one reads will do nothing for your career. And that’s not what Decent Music PR is about.. We focus on high quality press, telling the story that you want to tell, and at a time that’s really helpful for your goals.

By working in Music Publicity as publishers, and artists, for years we have built strong relationships with respected curators, tastemakers, and media outlets and this means that when we pitch your music, it’s going to the right people. We’ve secured coverage in top-tier platforms like CLASH, Notion, Wonderland, Billboard, Complex and placements on high quality publishers, as well as help to create buzz using reputable mid-tier blogs too. These placements are not just a vanity spot, they’re the kind of features and playlists that give your music credibility and real visibility.

Publicity and Press are very rarely going to equate to a noticeable change in streaming numbers, but it is an incredible tool to help with building your credibility when looking to secure festival spots, more gigs and shoes, label interest and much more. When linking to articles in your EPK, this is a massive SEO and credibility win.


Red Flag 3: Overpriced PR companies with low quality results


As artists, we get it. When you are an independent artist, every penny counts. But here’s the thing.. Pouring your heart, soul and budget into recording and perfecting an album and then not investing in some sort of promotion plan to get that music to the right ears is the sad reason that there’s so much brilliant music that never gets the recognition that it deserves.


A typical campaign with us isn’t just a quick automated pitch and email blast. It’s hours of researching and pitching to the right curators, building on years of trusted relationships, writing tailored press releases, chasing follow-ups, and constantly keeping momentum going. That’s work done by a real human expert that would take you weeks, even months to even attempt on your own, and without our network, it’s a lot harder to get a reply, let alone a placement.Breaking our pricing down, it is fair for the amount of time, strategy, expertise and energy put in. We have built systems and connections that are difficult to replicate solo and that’s where the real value is. You aren’t just paying for placements, you’re paying for us to join your team and bring our experience, credibility and results. 

Compared to other Music PR companies, we are reasonably priced, but we certainly aren’t the cheapest out there, and we don’t want to be. Cheap usually means fake streams, botted playlists, automated services you can do on your own, and ultimately wasted money. At Decent, you are paying for real targeted campaigns for real growth that lasts.  Tyler put's it well here (if the video's not showing, please make sure to accept the sites cookies):


Proof is in the pudding, here’s our Real, Recent Reviews


A lot of companies say that they’re real but don’t have much to back it up with - here are some recent reviews on our Google Reviews (see here), and Trustpilot reviews, please feel free to take a look for yourself:



At the end of the day, Decent Music PR exists for one sole reason: we want to help artists grow in an honest, transparent and meaningful way. We are not here to help with impactless quick wins, fake streams and empty promises - we are here to support your musical journey with integrity and music that we really believe in.


If you are interested in talking to a Music PR company that are only looking to help artists define and achieve their goals, that’s exactly who we are. Feel free to check out some of our case studies to see how we have helped other artists with their release plans. And if you are ready to speak to someone about your own music’s release plans, you can reach out through our submission form directly here.


We would love to hear from you, and listen to your music to see if and how we can help you take the next step in your career. Please submit your music here and we will be in touch!

bottom of page