What $5K, $15K, and $40K Actually Buy

Davy Agency's 2026 Music Video & Release Pricing Guide

A no-BS pricing guide for artists, managers, and labels planning a 2026 release.

Who this is for

If you're an artist, manager, or label cutting a check for visuals and a release rollout in the next six months — this is for you.

You've probably already gotten quotes that range from $1,200 to $80,000 for what sounds like the same deliverable. You're trying to figure out:

What does a "good" music video actually cost?
What should a release campaign include — and what's bullshit padding?
When does it make sense to hire one agency vs. five separate freelancers?
Where does my budget go furthest?

This guide answers all of that. No gatekeeping. No "contact us for pricing."

We've laid out exactly what $5K, $15K, and $40K buys when you work with us — and, more importantly, what each tier is realistically capable of doing for your release.

If by the end you decide we're not the right fit, that's fine. You'll still walk away knowing how to spot a fair quote from anyone.

— Davy Pelletier, Founder, Davy Agency

Why most artists overpay (or underpay)

The overpay trap. You hire one agency for the music video. Another for photos. A third for social. A fourth for the EPK. A fifth for press. A sixth for ads. Each one quotes you fair-market-rate for their slice — but nobody is talking to each other. The video team shoots without thinking about how the stills will be cropped for Spotify Canvas. The photo team builds a press kit that contradicts the video's color grade. The ads team gets handed assets they can't run with on TikTok. You end up with six invoices, a fragmented release, and a final spend 40-60% higher than it needed to be.

The underpay trap. You go cheap. $800 for a music video. $300 for a photo session. A free Linktree as your "EPK." The release lands and converts almost nobody — not because the music is bad, but because the visual story is incoherent and the funnel doesn't exist. You assume the music wasn't strong enough. It probably was. The campaign just couldn't carry it.

The fix. Pick one team that can run the entire stack — visuals, web, ads, distribution prep, press — and let them make tradeoffs across the whole release instead of optimizing within their own silo.

That's what we do. The next three sections show what that looks like at $5K, $15K, and $40K+.

Tier 1 — Single Deliverable

Starting at $5,000

One asset, done at a level that holds up next to anything in your genre.

What it is. A single high-impact asset built to professional standard — typically a music video, a photo session, a brand identity package, or a website. No release strategy attached. No campaign. Just one deliverable, executed at the level you'd see on a major label rollout.

What's included:

Pre-production: concept development, mood boards, shot list, location scout
Production: full crew, gear, direction, on-set producer
Post: editing, color grade, sound design or retouching, two rounds of revisions
Final files in every format you need (16:9, 9:16, 1:1, stills pulled for socials)

Best for:

An artist with one specific gap to fill — you have everything else, you just need a video that doesn't look like a hobby
A label A&R who needs a single high-quality asset for a one-off single
A manager testing a new direction with one of their artists before committing to a bigger campaign

Realistic outcome. A piece of work that looks like it cost three times what you paid, slots into your release without friction, and gives the song a fighting chance on its visual merits.

Common project examples:

Music video for a single — $5,000 to $10,000
Brand photo session (artist portraits + 2 looks) — $5,000 to $7,500
One-page release website with EPK module — $5,000 to $8,000
Logo + brand identity package — $5,000 to $7,500

Tier 2 — Release Campaign

Starting at $15,000

Every visual asset and every piece of infrastructure your single, EP, or album needs to actually convert.

What it is. A coordinated release rollout. We build the full creative package — video, photos, web, EPK, social cuts, ads — and time them to the release schedule so each piece reinforces the others. This is where most artists see the biggest jump in conversion, because the campaign starts working as a system instead of a pile of disconnected files.

What's included:

One flagship music video (or two short-form videos)
Brand photo session (portraits + 2 styled looks)
Release website / landing page with pre-save and EPK
Press kit (one-sheet, hi-res photos, bio, links)
30-50 social cuts pre-built for IG, TikTok, Reels, Shorts, Spotify Canvas
Paid ad creative (3-5 versions for Meta and TikTok)
Release timeline + content calendar so your team knows what drops when
Optional: light press outreach (3-5 outlets in your genre)

Best for:

An artist or band releasing a single, EP, or short album in 2026 who wants the rollout to actually move the needle
A manager whose artist has the songs but no infrastructure
A label executing a focused mid-tier release

Realistic outcome. A release that lands as a campaign, not a drop. Pre-saves up. Streams accelerate week-over-week instead of dying after launch day. Your social calendar is full for 8-12 weeks without you scrambling. Your EPK opens doors for press, sync, and bookings.

Tier 3 — Full-Stack Engagement

Starting at $40,000

The five-or-six-agency stack collapsed into one team.

What it is. We become your creative and marketing department for a release cycle (typically 4-9 months). Every asset, every channel, every system — built, run, and optimized by one team that's talking to itself.

This is what most major-label artists have. The difference is they pay six different vendors $300K to assemble it. We do it for $40K-$120K because we don't operate in silos.

Visual assets:

2-4 music videos
Full brand photo program (multiple sessions, multiple looks)
Album/EP artwork and packaging design
Merch design (3-5 pieces)
Tour/show visuals (backdrops, screens, lighting cues if needed)

Digital infrastructure:

Full release website with EPK, press kit, store, mailing list, content hub
Pre-save campaign and link routing
Email list build + nurture sequences
Analytics (GA4, Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel) wired across the whole funnel

Marketing and growth:

Paid ads on Meta, TikTok, YouTube — built, run, and optimized weekly
Organic social strategy + 60-90 days of pre-built content
Influencer/creator seeding strategy
Press and PR outreach (8-15 outlets)
Radio campaign (specialty, college, internet — genre-appropriate)
Sync licensing prep + outreach to music supervisors

Strategic infrastructure:

IP and rights organization (split sheets, mechanicals, ISRC/UPC)
Distribution strategy and DSP pitching
Tour booking support (visuals, advance press, local radio in tour markets)
Weekly check-ins, monthly reporting, real-time Slack channel

Best for:

An artist with major label-level ambition and the songs to back it up
A label rolling out a flagship artist or signing class
A manager who's done piecing together five vendors for every release and wants one team running the whole machine

Realistic outcome. A release that performs like a major-label campaign at a fraction of the cost. Sustained streaming growth. Press placements you couldn't get before. Sync interest. A full mailing list and pixel'd audience you own forever (not just rented from Meta or Spotify).

A 90-day release campaign — what the timeline actually looks like

This is the Tier 2 ($15K+) timeline. Tier 3 extends 4-6 months further with sustained ad spend, press, and tour support.

Weeks 1-2 — Strategy and pre-production. Kickoff call. Brand audit. Music video concept and mood board. Photo shoot styling. Web wireframes. Press timeline lock.

Weeks 3-4 — Production. Music video shoot. Brand photo session. Web build. EPK assets compiled.

Weeks 5-6 — Post and assembly. Video edit and color. Photo retouch. Site goes live (soft launch — pre-save only). Social cuts produced. Ad creative built.

Weeks 7-8 — Pre-launch. Pre-save campaign live. Email teaser sent. First wave of paid ads (audience-building, not conversion). Press outreach begins. EPK starts circulating.

Week 9 — Release week. Single drops. Music video drops 24-72 hours after song. Full ad spend turns on. Email blast. Social cuts deployed daily. Press follow-up.

Weeks 10-12 — Post-launch lift. Conversion ads scale. Second wave of social cuts. Local press and radio. Pixel'd audiences re-targeted. Pre-save list nurtured for the next release.

By Day 90, you've shipped a campaign — not just a track.

Why work with us

Five things you won't get from a typical music marketing agency.

1. We make the work, not just the strategy. Most music marketing firms run ads and write decks. They don't shoot, edit, design, or build. When the deliverables don't perform, they blame the creative — which they didn't make. We do both. So when something underperforms, we have full ownership of fixing it. Strategy and execution under one roof means accountability, not finger-pointing.

2. We've worked the rooms you want to be in. Punk, post-punk, hardcore, industrial, indie rock, electronic. A Place to Bury Strangers. Bootblacks. Kevin Moan + The Howling. CrowJane. Mold!. We know the venues, the press, the radio shows, the sync supervisors, and the distributors who actually move artists in these scenes. You're not paying us to learn your genre on your dime.

3. One team, one invoice, no hand-offs. The video team talks to the photo team talks to the web team talks to the ads team — because they're the same team. Decisions get made in hours, not weeks. Files don't get lost between vendors. Your release stays coherent.

4. We build infrastructure you keep. Email lists, pixels, GA4 setups, content libraries — everything we build for you, you own. When the campaign ends, you walk away with assets and an audience you can hit again on the next release. That compounds.

5. We tell you the truth. If your demo isn't ready, we'll say so. If your budget can't support the campaign you're pitching, we'll tell you what it can support. If a track shouldn't be the single, we'll say that too. The job is to make you successful, not to take your check and disappear.

How to work with us

1. Submit a project brief. Fill out the questionnaire at davy.agency/new-project. Takes 5-7 minutes. Tells us your release timeline, budget range, genre, and what you're trying to accomplish.

2. We review and respond within 48 hours. If we're a fit, we'll send a calendar link for a 30-minute discovery call. If we're not, we'll tell you straight and (when we can) point you toward someone who is.

3. Discovery call. We talk through your goals, the music, the timeline, and the budget. By the end of the call, you'll know exactly what we'd recommend, what it would cost, and what the timeline looks like.

4. Proposal and start. You get a written proposal within 3 business days. If you sign, we kick off within 2 weeks. Most projects start with a 50% deposit; balance due on delivery (or milestone-based for Tier 3 engagements).

Ready to talk?

Start a project: davy.agency/new-project

Book a call: davy.agency/book-an-appointment

Got a question first? Email dp@davy.agency

Davy Agency

Full-stack creative for the music industry. Portland, OR · working with artists everywhere.

davy.agency · @davy.agency · Recent work

This guide is a snapshot of our 2026 pricing. Numbers are starting points — every project gets a custom quote based on scope, timeline, and ambition. Pricing reviewed and updated quarterly.