Music Promotion Benchmarks 2026
We pulled the numbers from the 1,900+ campaigns in our platform across clipping, Spotify playlisting and YouTube ads. Every figure below is an aggregate with its sample size and date range. No client or artist data is shown, and you're welcome to cite any of it.
By Jared Rapoza, founder of Artist Influence. Published October 8, 2026.
The headline numbers
Clipping
In a clipping campaign, clippers cut an artist's sets, vlogs and shows into short clips, post them and get paid per view.
Instagram, not TikTok, carried 90% of the views
852M of 943M tracked clip views were on Instagram. The median Instagram clip got 1,942 views and the median TikTok clip got 313. Only 2.4% of clips passed 100K views and 0.18% passed 1M, so results come from a few breakout clips on top of a lot of volume.
71,290 clips with views across 94 campaigns, November 2025 to September 2026.
The median campaign delivered 5.6x its view goal
82% of clipping campaigns met or beat their view goal, and the median campaign finished at 5.6 times it.
94 clipping campaigns with tracked views that were complete or had run 30+ days, November 2025 to September 2026.
A typical campaign: about 700 clips and 6 million views
The median campaign was 708 clips and 6.08M views on a $2,000 budget. Across every clipping campaign, we tracked 1.17B views.
Medians from 94 campaigns, November 2025 to September 2026. Total from 135 campaigns, September 2025 to September 2026.
Effective cost: $0.36 per 1,000 views
Campaigns in this window were budgeted at a $2.00 CPM (cost per 1,000 views). Because most beat their view goal, the median effective cost came out at $0.36 per 1,000 views.
93 priced campaigns, November 2025 to September 2026. Prices are what clients paid in that window; current prices are in our cost guide.
Spotify playlisting
Songs in our Spotify playlisting campaigns, measured with Spotify for Artists data and counted once per song.
13 algorithmic streams for every 100 curator playlist streams
For every 100 streams a song got from curator playlists, the median song earned 13 more from Spotify's algorithmic surfaces: Radio, Mixes, Smart Shuffle and Autoplay. The top quarter of songs earned 51 or more.
398 songs with attributed curator playlist streams, January to September 2026.
60% of songs picked up Discover Weekly streams
Read this as where songs showed up, not as proof the campaign caused it. Spotify for Artists reports these surfaces over a 12-month window, which can include streams from before the campaign.
430 songs with playlist data, campaigns starting January to September 2026.
First playlist add: a median of 5 days
The first curator playlist add came a median of 5 days after a campaign started, and 69% of songs had one within a week.
358 songs with dated curator placements, January to September 2026.
YouTube ads
96% of campaigns finished at or above their view goal
Of our completed YouTube ad campaigns, 96% ended with the video at or above its view goal, and the median video finished at 2.1 times its goal. These use the video's lifetime view count, which includes views from before the campaign.
619 completed campaigns, January 2024 to August 2026.
How we measured
- Source: the Artist Influence campaign platform, read on October 8, 2026. Aggregates only, with no client, artist or invoice data.
- Scope: we've run 4,000+ campaigns since 2019. Older history lives outside the platform, so this report covers the 1,900+ campaigns in it, and each finding lists its own sample and window.
- Clipping: every post counts. Views are a floor, because posts not yet tracked count as zero.
- Spotify: Spotify for Artists data, de-duplicated so each song counts once. "Algorithmic" means Radio, Mixes, Smart Shuffle and Autoplay; Discover Weekly and Release Radar are reported separately.
- YouTube: lifetime video views against the campaign's view goal, so we say "finished above goal", not "delivered".
- Prices are medians of what clients paid in each window. They are not a quote; see the cost guide for current prices.
Citing this report
Artist Influence, "Music Promotion Benchmarks 2026," October 2026, www.artistinfluence.com/resources/music-promotion-benchmarks-2026
Writing about it? We're happy to share more detail, walk through the method or put you in touch with Jared.
Questions about the data
Which platform drives the most views in music clipping campaigns?
Instagram, by a wide margin. Across 71,290 clips in our clipping campaigns from November 2025 to September 2026, Instagram carried 90% of tracked views (852M of 943M) and TikTok carried under 10%. The median Instagram clip got 1,942 views and the median TikTok clip got 313.
How much does a clipping campaign cost per 1,000 views?
In our data the median effective cost was $0.36 per 1,000 views, against a $2.00 budgeted CPM (93 priced campaigns). That is what clients paid during the window. Current prices are in our music promotion cost guide.
Do Spotify playlist campaigns lead to algorithmic streams?
For every 100 streams a song got from curator playlists, the median song in our campaigns earned 13 more from Spotify's algorithmic surfaces (Radio, Mixes, Smart Shuffle and Autoplay), and the top quarter earned 51 or more (398 songs). 60% of songs also logged Discover Weekly streams during the window. These show where songs appeared, not that the campaign caused it.
How quickly do Spotify curator playlist placements happen?
The first curator playlist add came a median of 5 days after a campaign started, and 69% of songs had one within a week (358 songs, January to September 2026).
How often do YouTube ad campaigns reach their view goal?
96% of our completed YouTube ad campaigns finished with views at or above the view goal, and the median video ended at 2.1 times its goal (619 campaigns). These counts use the video's lifetime views, which include views from before the campaign.