Music Release Agency in Auckland

A single release campaign typically runs NZ$1,200 to NZ$3,500 depending on how much asset production is involved. Distribution and metadata setup with a pre-save campaign and editorial pitch sits at the NZ$1,200 to NZ$1,800 end. Add video assets, radio and press servicing and managed paid social and it moves toward NZ$3,500. An EP or album campaign across multiple singles is usually NZ$4,000 to NZ$8,000. Ad spend is separate and NZ$300 to NZ$1,500 per release is a realistic range. Aggregator fees are yours directly and generally sit under NZ$100 a year.

No, and neither can anyone else. Editorial placement is decided by Spotify's editors, who receive vastly more submissions than they have slots. What we can do is submit a well-constructed pitch before the deadline, make sure your metadata and artist profile are in order, and build the release-day activity that improves your odds with both editors and the algorithm. Any agency guaranteeing editorial placement is either misleading you or using paid schemes that put your release at risk.

Because paying for placement breaches Spotify's terms and the penalties land on the artist, not the seller — streams removed, releases taken down, and in serious cases action against your artist profile. Those playlists are also typically inflated with bot activity, so the streams do not represent real listeners and never convert into fans or ticket sales. It is money spent on a number that damages you if anyone looks closely.

Six to eight weeks minimum from finished master to release day. Aggregators need lead time to deliver to every platform, the Spotify editorial pitch has to go in before the track is live, and pre-save campaigns need three to four weeks to gather any real momentum. If you are applying for NZ On Air funding, add considerably more, because those rounds have fixed closing dates and outcomes are not immediate.

For most independent artists the flat-fee services such as DistroKid work out cheapest if you release regularly, since you pay annually rather than per release. TuneCore and CD Baby have different fee structures that can suit lower release volumes or one-off albums. The differences that actually matter are payout speed, whether you keep 100 percent of royalties, and how easily you can fix metadata after delivery. We will recommend one based on how often you plan to release rather than defaulting to a single option.

Yes. The bNet student and independent stations continue to play unsigned local music, and their music directors are approachable in a way commercial radio is not. Airplay there builds early credibility, often leads to interviews and live session invitations, and costs nothing beyond sending a well-timed email with a private stream link. For a first or second release in New Zealand it is one of the highest-value things you can do.