Getting a video onto music television is possible, but "on TV" is no longer one clear outcome. A placement might mean national cable rotation, a genre block, an international feed, an on-demand app, a connected-TV channel, or a paid block whose audience is barely measured.
Those placements do not carry equal value. Before you pay a promoter or celebrate a logo, confirm exactly which channel, country, program, time window, number of plays, and reporting method the offer includes.
This guide shows how to prepare a broadcast package, research legitimate outlets, submit directly or through a promoter, and use a placement after it happens. Submission rules change, so verify every contact on the channel's official site before sending files or money.
What You Will Learn
- What music television includes in 2026
- Which channels and programs are realistic targets
- How to prepare video, metadata, rights, and an EPK
- How direct submissions and video promoters differ
- How to spot vague pay-to-play offers
- How to track and reuse a confirmed placement
Understand the Current TV Market
The MTV brand still carries recognition, but its main channels do not operate like the all-day music video era. Video programming differs by region, channel, and schedule. BET, CMT, REVOLT, Stingray, Music Choice, TRACE, Clubbing TV, regional broadcasters, and connected-TV networks serve different genres and territories.
Start with audience fit rather than prestige. A country artist should research CMT and regional country programs. A Caribbean or African artist may find a TRACE regional feed or specialist channel more relevant than a broad US cable brand. Dance artists may fit club and electronic channels.
Connected-TV services on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, FAST platforms, and station apps have expanded the number of outlets that call themselves television. Ask whether a channel is linear, on demand, or both. Ask for independently verifiable distribution and audience information.
Create three target tiers:
| Tier | Outlet type | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| A | Major national or international brand | Editorial credibility and broad reach |
| B | Genre, regional, or established connected-TV channel | Audience fit and repeat rotation |
| C | Local program, college channel, web TV, or curated show | First proof, local press, relationships |
A confirmed Tier C slot with a real local audience can be more useful than an unverified "global TV" package.
Prepare a Broadcast-Ready Video
Do not send a YouTube rip. Export a clean master from the editing timeline and create the versions requested by each outlet.
A submission package may require:
- 1920 x 1080 HD or a higher-resolution master
- The outlet's accepted codec and container
- Correct frame rate for its broadcast system
- Stereo mix at specified loudness and sample rate
- Clean version with no explicit lyrics, gestures, drugs, nudity, or restricted logos
- Textless master if the outlet adds its own graphics
- Caption file or embedded captions in the requested format
- Opening and ending free of long black frames
- Accurate duration and timecode information
Do not guess technical specifications. Ask for the current delivery sheet. Broadcast standards vary by territory and network. A US outlet may use a different frame-rate convention from a European outlet.
Watch the final export on a television. Check title-safe framing, compression, skin tone, text size, flashes, legal marks, and audio. Your music video editing checklist covers the finishing pass.
Clear Every Right Before Submission
A broadcaster needs confidence that you control the material. Prepare written releases and licenses for:
- Master recording and composition
- Featured performers and actors
- Director and production company
- Locations and recognizable private property
- Artwork, photographs, fonts, stock, and archive footage
- Choreography where separately protected
- Brands, products, and visible trademarks where required
- Samples and interpolations in the song
- Minors, including guardian consent
The person submitting should have authority from the rights holder. If a label, publisher, guest artist, sponsor, or distributor has approval rights, get approval before delivery.
Broadcasters may request errors and omissions insurance for some content. Ask early. Do not sign a warranty stating every right is cleared if you have unresolved stock footage or an uncleared sample.
Build the Metadata and EPK
Create a one-page video information sheet:
- Artist and song title
- Version: clean, explicit, remix, live
- ISRC and UPC where applicable
- Songwriters, publishers, label, and distributor
- Director, producer, and production company
- Runtime, release date, genre, language, and country
- Copyright lines for recording and video
- Contact for programming and rights questions
- Short artist bio and current press point
- Private screening link and downloadable master link
Your EPK should include approved photos, artist bio, notable live dates or press, social and streaming links, and a short reason the video fits that specific program. Use our electronic press kit guide to build the core assets.
Do not attach a multi-gigabyte file to an email. Send a password-protected screening link and a professional download link with a clear expiration date.
Find Real Submission Paths
Use the channel's official website, current programming staff, verified social accounts, and trade contacts. Submission addresses posted in old forum threads may be abandoned or impersonated.
Search for:
- "Music video submissions" on the official domain
- Program-specific producer or music supervisor contacts
- Label and distributor delivery relationships
- Regional affiliates and local music shows
- Official submission platforms
- Recognized independent video promoters
REVOLT has publicly invited submissions at points in its history, and third-party search results still repeat addresses. Confirm the current address and policy directly with REVOLT before sending anything. The same rule applies to MTV, BET, CMT, Music Choice, and every regional channel.
Rive Video Promotion states on its current FAQ that artists can send a link or use its contact form. That describes a service submission, not guaranteed editorial acceptance by every network. Read the service agreement and obtain a written list of deliverables.
This industry discussion explains how promoters frame submissions to MTV, BET, REVOLT, and other outlets. Treat it as a starting point, then verify each claim with the outlet.
Direct Submission vs Video Promoter
| Route | Benefit | Cost or risk | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct to outlet | No middle fee, direct relationship | Hard to find contact, slower follow-up | Artists with targeted fit and time |
| Distributor or label | Existing delivery and metadata systems | Eligibility and plan limits | Artists with a supportive partner |
| Video promoter | Contacts, formatting, follow-up | Fees and variable transparency | Multi-outlet campaigns with references |
| PR firm | Connects placement to a wider story | Higher cost, no guarantee | Releases with a real press angle |
| Paid programming block | Defined inventory | May not be editorial or well watched | Only with verified audience and terms |
If your distributor offers video delivery, ask what it actually delivers. DistroVid, for example, is separate from standard audio distribution. The DistroKid DistroVid referral is an affiliate link, so we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Confirm current stores, eligibility, pricing, ownership, and takedown terms before joining.
A promoter should provide company identity, recent client references, exact target outlets, services, campaign dates, reporting, refund or replacement policy, and a contract. They cannot honestly guarantee editorial rotation controlled by a third-party programmer.
Separate Legitimate Fees From Empty Pay-to-Play
Paying for professional pitching is not automatically a scam. Paying for production, formatting, delivery, closed captions, or a promoter's labor can be legitimate. The problem is a vague promise whose value cannot be verified.
Ask these questions before payment:
- Is the placement editorial, sponsored, or paid programming?
- What exact channel and feed carries it?
- In which countries and distribution services?
- Which program and approximate daypart?
- How many confirmed plays, if any?
- How are plays documented?
- What audience data comes from the channel rather than the seller?
- Can I contact two recent artists directly?
- What happens if the outlet rejects the video?
- Do I retain all rights and control?
Red flags include guaranteed MTV or BET rotation with no program name, pressure to pay by wire or crypto, no legal company identity, screenshots without dates, followers presented as television viewers, and contracts that take broad rights.
A recognizable network logo is not proof that your video aired to a meaningful audience.
Submit a Short, Specific Pitch
Subject: Clean HD music video submission: Artist - Song - Genre
Write four short parts:
- Identify the artist, location, genre, and song.
- Explain why the video fits this channel or named program.
- State that clean and broadcast masters, captions, metadata, and clearances are ready.
- Provide one screening link and one contact.
Do not send a life story, several tracks, or a public file that can be replaced without notice. Follow the stated submission policy. If no follow-up rule exists, one polite message after seven to ten business days is enough.
Track the outlet, contact, date, version, response, requested changes, rights, and final outcome in a spreadsheet.
Use the Placement After It Happens
Request an airdate, program name, territory, clip or screenshot permission, and written confirmation. Monitor the broadcast if practical. Keep any cue sheet or reporting document.
Then:
- Add a truthful line to the EPK
- Share the date and viewing instructions with local fans
- Pitch local press with a specific angle
- Thank the programmer and promoter
- Post a permitted clip or photo
- Update booking and sponsor materials
- Check relevant performance and neighboring-rights reporting
Airing does not always produce a separate royalty payment to the artist, and systems differ by country and right. Register accurate metadata with the relevant collection organizations and ask an administrator when meaningful broadcast occurs. Learn more in our international neighboring-rights guide.
Use Online Video as the Baseline
Television should add to a campaign, not hold the video hostage. Publish and optimize for YouTube, then use Shorts, Reels, TikTok, streaming video features, email, press, and artist pages. Read how to promote a music video after release and how to get music on YouTube Music.
Online analytics usually provide faster audience data than a small broadcast placement. Compare cost per real viewer, watch time, subscribers, streams, press value, and reusable proof.
Related Resources
- Learn how YouTube Content ID affects artists
- Use YouTube analytics to grow a music channel
- Set up your YouTube channel before release
- Build the wider music release campaign
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can an independent artist get onto MTV?
A: Possible placement depends on the specific MTV channel, territory, program, distributor, promoter, genre, and current submission policy. Do not treat "MTV" as one worldwide playlist. Verify the exact feed and program.
Q: Do channels charge submission fees?
A: Some submission services, promoters, delivery vendors, and paid programs charge fees. Editorial outlets may not. A fee is not proof of acceptance or audience. Ask what service the payment buys.
Q: Does the video need a clean version?
A: Often yes. Prepare a true clean audio and visual version rather than muting words at the last moment. Ask for the outlet's content standards.
Q: What format should I send?
A: Send exactly what the outlet's current delivery sheet requests. Keep a high-quality master available and make network-specific copies. Do not send only a compressed YouTube download.
Q: Should I hire a promoter?
A: Hire one when verified relationships and campaign labor justify the fee. Check references, exact outlet list, reporting, rights, and what happens after rejection. Direct submission may suit a smaller target list.
Q: Is connected TV the same as cable TV?
A: No. Connected-TV channels stream through internet-enabled televisions and devices. Distribution and audience measurement vary. Describe the placement accurately in press materials.
Build a Ten-Outlet Target Sheet
List ten specific programs or channels that fit your genre and territory. Add an official contact source, current submission policy, technical requirement, fee status, and reason your video fits. Remove every outlet you cannot verify before sending the first link.
