Introduction:
Smoke and Mirrors
In the murky waters of the music industry, finding trustworthy promotional agencies can be a daunting task for artists. But most of us know that we just have to do our research first. That usually entails reading unbiased reviews, checking the company’s references, and just generally getting a feel for how well that promotional agency has handled their previous campaigns.
Then, eventually, if everything feels right and all the boxes have been checked, it’s time to put our money to good use and sign up with the professionals we need to build our brands, grow our audience, and share our music with the world.
Usually, doing our homework to that degree would mean we are well prepared for any problems, and safely avoiding any scams. But what if, suddenly, it wasn’t that simple? What if every article you read, every review your uncovered, every client you talked to, all spoke in favor of the company’s legitimacy – only for you to find out later, that everything you used to vet the company was all just a web of lies.
That’s exactly what many artists on Music Promo Today‘s roster are going through right now. MPT has created an entire fictional universe around themselves, cos-playing as the world’s greatest PR firm, with absolutely nothing of substance to back up that claim to fame. Nothing they didn’t invent, that is.
🚨 What’s The Verdict?
MPT creates a dangerous charade of misdirection, operating in an illusion of their own design. They live in fiction where they’re the greatest to ever do it, and they need everyone else to believe that with them – or else. Their entire misguided roster of dubious business models and various shell corporations operate under the same confusing opaqueness. It’s all smoke and mirrors, and we can prove it.
MSA here, and this one is officially a SCAM CONFIRMED.
Note: If you’ve seen this article before, you may notice a few new images and new information have been added. As we receive information and help from our readers, we update our articles with anything we can substantiate. Enjoy, and thanks to everyone who contributes. ~ MSA
There’s A Part Two Out Now!
The Saga Continues…
A Brief Message Before We Begin:
🕵🏼 Our Message to Music Promo Today:
We would like to let MPT to know that, thanks to the help from MSA fans, we have obtained information such as the legal names (English and Armenian) for the various personas operating MPT and associated organizations. We have also obtained various forms of documentation, including business registry reports from open source informational databases in Canada, America, and Armenia, with particular regard to the following corporations:
Music Promo Today / iNexxus / Developpement de Logiciels TDA INC. / TDA Software Development INC.
Any further attempt to suppress the free press, as well as any evidence of continued harassment or fraud, will result in MSA sharing this information with relevant Local, Federal, and International Authorities in the US, Canada, and Armenia, as well as with the IRS and CRA to ensure full accountability. Please cease any further threats against Music Scam Alert and its staff. Equally, we strongly advise MPT to pursue a more upstanding means of generating income, adopt ethical and safe business practices, and to stop defrauding artists.
⚖️ To Our Readers, Pursing Legal Action:
If you are pursuing legal action against MPT, please have your legal team contact us privately via email on official letterhead. We will share any relevant evidence we have to assist in expediting your case.
🐰 And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Broadcast.
Music Promo Today:
An Introduction to the Scammers
Meet the Bad Guys:
Music Promo Today (MPT), is a PR Firm that has built quite a paper trail for themselves. Also known as MPT Agency, this is a company that claims to be a leading force in music marketing. But, we are here to confirm today that we have substantiated their carefully crafted image as false, their business practices as widely fraudulent, and their personal ethics – well, those are wanting, at best.
The Companies They Keep…
iNexxus and MusicPromoToday are basically synonyms…
With Raffi and Anto Spearheading Both.
Overview of MPT
In the course of our research and investigation process, MPT has surfaced as one of the most fraudulent and dangerous entities in the music industry’s promotional space. They are the most insidious individuals we have ever investigated or personally interacted with. I am sure it will only get worse once this article goes live.
Anto & Michael are Particularly Dangerous, From My Experience.
✍🏻 After months of meticulous investigation, we at Music Scam Alert have unearthed disturbing truths about MPT’s operations that no artist can afford to ignore.
A Quick Reminder Why We’re Here:
Please keep in mind that we only include substantiated information in our reports, and nothing contained herein is knowingly false or maliciously intended. We are factual reporters, operating in the public interest. Our mission is to offer guidance and clarity to artists who often struggle to navigate this largely below board industry, and we have pledged to do so at no cost to them. We do not get paid to do this – our only motive is our love for other artists, our sense of connection to the music industry, and a desire to protect and safeguard the sanctity of artists and creators everywhere. We are here to protect artists.
🐰 We won’t pull punches when it comes to scammers. So buckle up, because this one’s going to get bumpy.
A Web of Lies
Fake Promises and Illegal Practices
Scam #1: Spotify Editorial Playlist Placement
MPT presents itself as a high-end agency that can secure placements on popular Spotify editorial playlists like RapCaviar. In our investigation I contacted MPT via text message and posed as a potential client.
I spoke with Ryan Magda over the course of several days via text message, and during that time he quoted prices between $10,000 and $50,000 for these guaranteed Editorial Playlist placements. He claimed he had already done this for countless artists (we have not been able to find evidence of that) including, specifically, one artist named Kara Major.
🚩 Ryan also claimed that MPT was able to accomplish this impossible feat due to relationships with “higher ups” over at Spotify headquarters. They’ve claimed that before, too – on social media stories and even on there own YouTube channel.
Whether or not this is really something MPT is capable of doing is tricky to prove or disprove. It’s the kind of thing can’t be easily invalidated with simple research tactics. Still, common sense dictates that Ryan’s statement is almost certainly false.
Just to be extra thorough, we have reached out to Spotify’s press department and requested an official statement on this matter. Most of the time, we do get the statements we put in a request for (assuming we are dealing with a legitimate, above-board company – like Spotify), but sometimes it takes a while to get through all the red tape and various department levels to actually get the print permission we need.
Assuming we do get the statement from Spotify, officially commenting on MPT’s claims, we will update this article and include that statement here. However, with or without that statement, I think we all know what Spotify is going to say.
I can’t imagine a world where Spotify comes back and says, ‘yes, we know and love Anto and Raffi so much that we publicly bend Spotify’s strict curation policies, just for them and their very special roster of artists – it’s all true! And it’s all because Anto and Raffi are so incredibly important, and well-connected in this industry. You really should just read their Billboard article if you’d like to verify anything like this in the future, but we are happy to help this time. Just remember that MPT is a holy circle of benevolent gods and glorious saints who can do no wrong, but thanks so much for asking! We just love any opportunity we get to talk about them!’
Anto and Raffi would love that, but, in reality, we all know Spotify is not going to say that. They simply would not condone one company breaking the policy that serves their platform so well. So, while we wait for that official statement to roll in, let’s just operate on the premise that reality hasn’t shifted at the feet of Raffi and Anto simply because they want it to.
Let’s assume Spotify is not giving them secret playlist placements on the side, just because Anto and Raffi are “that important” … because, they’re just not. No one is. And that’s okay. That’s fair. The playing field should at least be even when it comes to Editorial Playlists, because that’s one of the last real shots an artist has to make it big and make it as an independent in this industry. If that became about money and connections too, I honestly don’t know where that would leave us.
As frustrating as Spotify’s policies can be sometimes, and, even when they feel incredibly stacked against us overall, I respect and appreciate that there is at least one gatekeeper left that can’t simply be paid off. It’s the last merit-based opportunity we have. And as weird as it feels to appreciate gate-keeping, in this case, I find that I do.
And, speaking personally, I’m glad that there has never been a verified case of someone being able to pay for a spot on an Editorial playlist. Even though it can be disheartening to repeatedly pitch to Spotify Editorial curators, only to hear nothing back and get nothing out of it, at least it feels like a system with rules; rules everyone can play by. But, it is admittedly frustrating to keep pitching and still feel overlooked.
Maybe that’s why so many artists are driven to the point of such desperation that they are ready to believe these Editorial Playlist schemes are real. I can promise you – there is only one way to get on a Spotify Editorial Playlist, and that’s by pitching your song to Spotify curators, which is done during your pre-release on the Spotify For Artist’s web applet.
🐰 Rabbit Hole
How Spotify Playlists Work
To learn more about this important part of being an independent artist, jump down this friendly rabbit hole! The link will open in a new tab, so you won’t lose your place in this article.
See the Text Messages:
Proof of MPT’s Attempt to Commit Fraud
About the Conversation: I reached out to MPT via the contact form on MPT’s website. By the way, it’s not safe to fill out contact forms on websites, unless you already know and trust them. It’s always better to try to find an email address than to use a website’s contact form.
On MPT’s website, I found their contact form and left my email and phone number on it, which were required. In the comment section, I requested that they text message me instead of calling – blaming it on my age, saying I hated phone calls more than anything. They took the bait.
If they had called me on the phone, I would not have answered. It does no good to have evidence that isn’t documented, and phone conversations – even when recorded – don’t hold up well in court. We always hope it never comes to that, but we always prepare for it anyway.
Click Through the Slide Show Below:
The image below is a slideshow! On a computer, Click RIGHT to move to the next slide. On your phone, Swipe LEFT to move to the next slide. There are eighteen text messages, one per slide, in the entirety of my interaction with Ryan Magda of MusicPromoToday. Enjoy.
Payola or Fraud, It’s Illegal Either Way.
🚩 The takeaway is this: If MPT tries to charge for a guaranteed playlist placement and succeeds, they violate United States Payola laws. If they try to charge for a guaranteed placement and fail, which is likely, it constitutes criminal fraud.
MPT is facing serious issues either way. They should not have asked for money for a Spotify Editorial Playlist via text, where proof of this request can be saved. This is the first demonstration of what proved to be a habitual behavior pattern of MPT – reckless greed – and that will be their undoing.
🐰 Rabbit Hole
Learn About Spotify Editorial Playlist Scams
To learn more about this emerging scam type, jump down this friendly rabbit hole! The link will open in a new tab, so you won’t lose your place in this article.
However, Spotify’s editorial playlists are managed solely by Spotify’s internal curators, who base decisions on pitches submitted via Spotify for Artists. Paid placement is not only impossible, but constitutes payola, a federal crime in the U.S. If these promises are false, the act crosses into fraud, another grave offense.
Spotify Editorial Playlist Scam
MPT’s Version:
Despite MPT’s claims, we found no evidence of their ability to secure these placements legitimately. Instead, their campaigns rely on bot-driven playlists that artificially inflate streaming numbers, damaging artists’ careers in the long term. Artists who fall for these scams often find their songs flagged and removed by Spotify, erasing months or even years of hard work in seconds.
Even if you skip the Editorial carrot-on-a-stick, trusting MPT with your social media marketing is almost equally as unwise. What’s a bit upsetting about that is, MPT is fully capable of delivering on basic Meta Ad Marketing. They just – don’t. It’s easier, faster, cheaper, and flashier simply to bot their artists and say they’re running ads.
Sometimes they do actually run ads, evidenced by reviewing their entire Meta Ad Library history. But often they don’t. The amount of campaigns MPT has run for artists – in the entirety of the company’s existence – is only a few pages deep. It should be nearly endless. Running ads for a single artist, for just a few years, creates an almost endless queue of pages of archived ads, which remain available on Meta’s Ad Library, even after you’ve ended the campaign or disabled the ads. So, the fact that I can review MPT’s entire ad history in just a few clicks is disheartening, and a little infuriating.
Because people are paying a lot for their services – as MPT has the highest prices of anyone we’ve ever investigated here at Music Scam Alert. And for all of that money artist’s are spending, they’re getting nothing in return – if they’re lucky. If they’re less lucky, they’ll get worse than nothing. They’ll get bots.
And that’s when artists start seeing their songs disappear on Spotify, or all of their streams go down to zero suddenly, or, they go to their distribution account only to find they haven’t been paid for any of the streams they’ve gotten recently, and sometimes they even get their artist account permanently banned on streaming platforms. That’s basically a game-over for artists, unless you want to make Open Mic Night at your local bar your one avenue for sharing your music. Assuming that doesn’t sound appealing to you, this situation should be somewhat alarming.
Proof: MPT Buys Bots.
There was a time, not so long ago, when bot streams weren’t really punishable by anyone. Sure, they would wreck your backend data, and absolutely they would set you back in your career in terms of the Discovery Algorithm on Spotify and finding your real audience in all of the noise – but, there were no absolute consequences for engaging in bot playlists or artificial streams. It was frowned upon by most, but then again, most artists didn’t know bot playlists were a thing up until pretty recently.
I remember having to educate artists on what bots are and why they’re bad – not all that long ago. So, back in those days, MPT could probably get away with inflating every artist’s catalog with bot streams, simply by purchasing bot plays or by sticking them on bot playlists. But now, if they keep that up, they’re going to destroy themselves.
We actually have proof of MPT doing both of those things; we have hard evidence of them purchasing bot plays outright, and direct evidence of them sticking their artists on bot playlists as well.
This is an Invoice: It’s MPT Buying Bot Plays for Artists.
This invoice was acquired through fully legal OSINT methods, including Dorking techniques. The companies they’re buying from are located in India and China, respectively. The songs from these invoices have all been removed from Apple Music, as the bot traffic likely triggered an automatic removal via the distributor due to violation of Apple’s artificial streaming policies.
Below is Data from Artist Tools.
An MPT Artist named Crystal is currently on this bot playlist. Her songs are set to be removed from Spotify due to these bot playlists. MPT will say it’s not their fault, that they didn’t put her on these playlists. But, we know that they did. Because the playlist owner information matches the domains we already know Raffi Avi owns. Because they didn’t make all their domains private like they probably should have. So, now we know. Consider it proven: MPT bots their artists.
Consequences
I know Anto, Michael and the rest of MPT will soon be saying that I am trying to end their careers or hurt their business – they all say that. But the truth is, MPT won’t need me to ruin their business. They’re doing that all on their own. They’re doing that by taking the easy way out of marketing and buying artificial streams for their artists – all of whom, unfortunately, will start to see their songs disappear off of streaming platforms, all of their false-progress gone, all of their hopes dashed, as their stream counts reset to zero. It’s heartbreaking.
I wish reporting on this could truly solve it. But unfortunately, warning artists about the precarious situation they’re in with MPT is the best we are capable of doing to save anyone.
If you or someone you know might be a victim of artificial streaming, please see our resources to remedy that problem before it’s too late. You can find those here:
On A Bot Playlist?
Worried You Might Be?
We got you.
MPT’s False Promises Exposed
In the end, the downfall of MPT will likely have nothing to do with whistle blowers and vigilantes like us. It will likely be because they take dangerous shortcuts that will eventually be their undoing. If they keep padding their artist’s audience with bot followers, bot streams, and bot views – no client will stick around long enough to help them keep up their flimsy facade of excellence.
That’s all MPT has holding them together – a facade of carefully crafted publicity. Ironically, publicity seems to be something they can only do well for themselves. They’ve done an outstanding job of painting a perfect picture of their services, their impressive artist roster, their edgy graphics and eye catching designs. They could easily just do their job with that kind of skill set. But they won’t. And they really never have, from what we’ve seen.
What they have done instead is fabricated an entire fake universe of awards they give themselves, and press circuits they own but pretend they don’t, and client reviews that they manage to ink out of every customer while they’re still in the honeymoon phase with MPT, before they discover that everything they paid so much money for, is just smoke and mirrors. Just a flimsy paper castle, which blows away with the first adversarial wind.
If artists start catching on to MPT’s antics, because their songs are getting removed from Spotify or because their posts are being shadow banned on Instagram, these artists won’t stick around long enough to write a glowing review on Google. They won’t last long enough to become a shinning success story, with their faces and album artwork hanging all over MPT’s social media pages like more trophies Raffi and Anto didn’t earn.
If everyone starts getting their songs removed from Spotify in the first month of working with MPT – MPT will still turn a huge profit, because they cost so much per month – but what they’re probably not accounting for is that there will be no one left to prematurely report how happy they are with MPT’s service. This is a problem that I predict will, after all of this fight, take care of itself in the end.
Back to the Ads topic – If you’d like to see the ads MPT runs and has run in the past, I’ll link you to that on Meta’s Ad Library below.
See All Meta Ads Ever Run By Music Promo Today:
See the MPT Effect in Action:
The above data was collected via artist.tools – a free service we recommend for bot monitoring.
🚨 A lot of MPT’s ads are disabled for Meta policy violations. Which is pretty hard to accomplish. You have to be doing something really unsavory to trigger the auto-disable function.
The Ads MPT Does Run Are Low Effort
Lazy Graphics & Completely Broad, Open Targeting.
🚨 The Truth About MPT’s Marketing Practices:
Despite graphics like the one seen below (taken from MPT’s own website), much of MPT’s sales pitch implies that they are Marketing experts, using buzzwords like “Data Driven” and “Growth Hacking” – all implying that MPT is doing highly refined, interest-targeted, professional Meta Marketing. Let me be clear, for the benefit of anyone who might be considering MPT: MPT does not now, nor have they ever, done any kind of advanced marketing, or used refined targeting. We’ve checked. The marketing they are doing – if they do it at all – is so basic, we can teach you to do that yourself, for free. Try the rabbit hole, linked below.
🐰 Rabbit Hole:
Learn The Basics of Meta Ad Marketing
To learn the basics of Meta Ad Marketing, jump down this friendly Rabbit Hole. The linked page will open in a new tab so you won’t lose your place in this article. You got this!
This is What MPT Claims Their Marketing Looks Like:
Feel Like Taking a Learning Break?
Let’s Talk About What’s Wrong With The Photo Above:
Note that what they’re showing here isn’t even that impressive. As someone who teaches marketing for indie artists, I can tell you that this looks complex, but it’s more simple than it should be. They’re using a Sprout Social audience instead of creating a custom event and then populating a custom audience with that aggregated data like they should be doing.
Sprout Social is an app that lets you link your social media channels to one dashboard and track various social metrics all in one place. If they don’t have their own database in place by now – I honestly don’t know what they’re spending all their client’s money on. Because this is seriously beginner level stuff.
Speaking of beginner level, you can see here what I mean about their targeting. Targeting is where you select specific types of people or certain demographics you want to show your ad to.
The idea is, you want your ad to be delivered to as many people as might like your music, while avoiding those who are unlikely to enjoy it as much as possible. Doing that well will save you money and grow your audience faster. Doing that poorly will have the opposite effect.
It’s trickier than it sounds but not nearly as hard as MPT wants you to believe.
Here I can see that they are targeting an open age range (18 – 65+) which makes sense, because we all know there are so many 70 year old’s listening to indie music, right? No, of course there’s not. This isn’t the worst thing, but it’s not something I would advertise to show my marketing prowess, either.
And they’re also targeting all genders (generally fine to do), and they have not specifically targeted any languages.
Lyrics tend to be language specific. It’s always a good idea to – at the very least – target the language your song is in. That’s basic and obvious to most.
This custom audience they’ve created could eliminate the need for demographic targeting, but not if it was created off of social data, which is what Sprout Social collects. So there’s a lot of flaws with this setup.
The biggest flaw, though, is that they are not showing any evidence of interest-based targeting. Interest based targeting is what you do to further refine the audience your ad is shown to. It takes a little strategy to get this part right, but it does not take any real time or effort to execute. It’s just a drop down menu – it takes five seconds to set up, on the same screen they’re on in this photo. Interest targeting is what real marketers do. Real meaning the kind you generally need to pay for – assuming you haven’t learned to do all of this yourself (which we encourage).
Understanding Interest Targeting: Let’s say you were selling sports drinks – where would you take your drinks to try to sell them? Would you just leave them randomly on everyone’s doorstep? Or would your first instinct be to take them to a marathon, or a sporting event, or to an outdoor festival on the hottest day of the year? Right. You probably already decided on the latter of those options. It was instinctive, I bet. That’s because you’re already a better marketer than MPT is.
Interest targeting on Meta Ads works just like that sports drink scenario: You pick an artist or a series of artists that you think you sound similar to, and through that synergy you hope you can capture some of their audience, because generally when you sound like their favorite artist, they’ll want to hear your music, too. But showing your song to a concert bassoonist who’s 75 years old and doesn’t speak your language – that’s just wasted ad spend. Ironically, “we don’t waste your ad money” is something MPT loves to say over and over again. You’ll see that tagline all over their promotional web fronts. It’s almost like they’re calling themselves out.
Also, I’m not sure why one of their audiences in this photo is called “Liberal Freelancers USA 1” – that’s concerning, because targeting any kind of political audience requires extra checks and balances from Meta’s side, and the scrutiny placed on those campaigns is dramatically higher for politically aimed ads (and for good reason, obviously). There’s no reason to target anything like that for music – in almost every conceivable case – that’s just a bad idea.
It makes me wonder if perhaps this graphic was a Sprout Social Ad Graphic to promote what you can do with their platform, which maybe MPT just grabbed off of Google Images and slapped their logo on it. A reverse image search would probably tell us if that’s the case.
🐰 Any super sleuths at home who want to investigate this for us – let us know what you find. 🐰
We Examined All Of MPT’s Ad Campaigns & Sales Promises
- First, See the Actual Campaigns MPT is Running
- Then We Cross Checked All Sales Pitches MPT has put on their website, regarding their marketing services:
- (What kind of marketing do they claim to do for the money you spend on their marketing services? Are they fulfilling those promises?).
- Lastly, We Will Debunk Any False Statements or Broken Promises from their Sales Pitches.
- Click The Carrot Below to Expand the Photo Evidence.
Click Here to See the Photo Evidence
Actual Ads
No Targeting. Low Effort Marketing
Actual Ads
This Artist Paid for Marketing Services Specifically. What She Got with MPT was Bot Plays & Bad Ad Campaigns.
Actual Ads
Some, Like Kara Major, Have Oddly Preferential Treatment
More Promises (Debunked):
MPT Promises:
They promise Meta Ads will help you grow your fanbase, but the dashboard seen in the image below is for their own marketing campaigns – for their own content – evidenced by the shopping cart metric showing physical sales (who knows of what). Music is free, so this metric wouldn’t be there.
More inconsistencies: Also, their conversion cost is shown as $15.50 USD per conversion, which would be $14.50 higher than it should ever be, even for the worst song, marketed by the worst marketer, on the worst possible day. So, this is obviously not a music campaign like they’re claiming.
Further more, the way $15.50 is written is not consistent with the way American currency is formatted (the use of a comma, the space after the dollar sign, and the US as opposed to USD visible to indicate the currency – all incorrect) so it’s my guess that this is not only not a music campaign, but it was faked to begin with, likely using something like the Inspect Element Hack.
Click the link above to learn more about that. The linked page will open in a new window so you won’t lose your place in this article.
MPT’s Happy Customers:
Where Are They Now?
Even if you don’t go to MPT trying to get on an Editorial Playlist – they will likely still bot you. We know this from reviewing nearly 50 artists from their past and present roster. We found a lot of them through Google Maps Reviews of MPT (the New York Office) where for whatever reason, people were feeling especially generous towards MPT.
We investigated MPT’s “satisfied customers” who had left MPT positive reviews over the past 2 years, and found many of these reviews were fake, with the reviewers either being interns at MPT, or simply friends who seemed to be located in Armenia, based on their other reviews of local Yerevan-based establishments.
For the positive reviews that didn’t seem fake or favor-based, we looked into those people further. We checked up on each one of those artists – the ones who had reported being happy with MPT’s services – and looked to see where they were in their careers.
Most of the positive reviews were from one to two years ago, so that should have been plenty of time for their careers to blossom and grow, and we expected to see each of those artists enjoying the promised meteoric-rise-to-fame that MPT is always subtly implying they have the power to give anyone who can afford it.
So, we looked into each and every artist who was singing MPT’s praises, and we are going to share that research with you here. The shocking results will not surprise you. But they might make you a little sad.
We Looked Up Everyone Who Has Ever Reviewed MPT
- First, See the Negative Reviews
- Then We Will Cross Check All The Positive Reviews (Where Are They Now In Their Careers?)
- Lastly, We Will Debunk Any Fake Reviews.
- Click The Carrot Below to Expand the Photo Evidence.
- FYI: You’re going to want to see this one.
See The Photo Evidence: Happy Customers?
Covering Their Tracks
MPT Uses Reddit to Bully Naysayers
One of MPT’s most troubling tactics is their strategic misuse of Reddit to bully critics and control the narrative. Reddit is often one of the first places people turn to when searching for honest, unbiased opinions, especially by using Google to search queries like “Is XYZ a scam? Reddit.”
People have started tacking the word “Reddit” on to the end of their Google searches – and for good reason. Unlike other platforms, Reddit remains a hub for real human discussions, making it a trusted resource for genuine insight.
MPT seems to understand this and exploits it to their advantage. Their approach includes:
- Bullying Critics: Employees and fake accounts regularly appear in threads questioning MPT’s legitimacy, such as “MPT Agency – Is It a Scam?” They attack original posters (OPs), harass them into deleting their posts, or overwhelm the thread with ridicule and false claims.
- Astroturfing: Fake accounts, likely run by MPT or their affiliates, pose as happy customers. These accounts support the bullying and defend MPT’s practices, drowning out any legitimate criticism with fabricated praise.
- SEO Manipulation: By hijacking Reddit threads and flooding them with false positivism, MPT likely hopes to skew search results. When potential clients search “Is MPT a scam?” they’re met with threads that appear to show glowing reviews and dismiss any concerns, burying the real experiences of those who’ve been harmed by their practices.
This behavior isn’t just unethical; it’s harmful to independent artists seeking genuine advice. Reddit threads should be a space for open dialogue and shared experiences, not a battleground for corporate manipulation. MPT’s tactics undermine the platform’s purpose and make it harder for people to find the truth.
✍🏻 According to first hand reports, MPT has also been bullying Reddit users asking questions about MPT on the platform, threatening them in private messages until the users feel forced to delete their posts. We’ve been sent some of those deleted threads. To see some photo evidence from them, click the drop down below.
Click Here to See More From Deleted Reddit Threads
It’s important to approach threads like these critically. Look out for patterns, such as overly aggressive defenses of MPT, newly created accounts commenting exclusively on MPT-related threads, or accounts that seem to regurgitate the same talking points. Transparency matters, and we owe it to each other as a community to call out these practices when we see them.
Fabricated Press and Fake Awards
Scam #2: Fake Press, Fake Awards, & Fake Reviews
MPT’s fraudulent activities extend beyond playlist promises. They’ve created an entire ecosystem of fake websites, blogs, and awards designed to bolster their image and mislead unsuspecting artists. This intricate network serves not only to promote their dubious services but also to give an appearance of legitimacy by fabricating testimonials and reviews that amplify their reach.
By crafting this facade, MPT Agency manipulates the music industry landscape, making it incredibly challenging for genuine platforms to emerge and thrive in an already competitive environment. Not to mention the damaging effect it has on the artists MPT repeatedly victimizes and defrauds.
Manhattan Music Awards
🏆 The “Manhattan Music Awards,” prominently featured as a sign of their credibility, is an entirely fabricated accolade created by MPT’s COO, Anto Dotcom. They vehemently denied this fact, to me personally, and on various online forums and social media platforms – but we were able to incontrovertibly substantiate that MPT created the “awards” website, purely to give themselves credibility where credit was far from due.
Open-source intelligence investigations (commonly known as OSINT) revealed that the award’s website shares an IP address and hosting details with MPT’s site.
Historical records show the domain manhattanmusic.org was originally a home piano lesson website, many years before the domain was purchased and repurposed by MPT.
MPT tried to deny any association with the award they gave themselves, but with back-links directing back to MPT clearly evidenced using various OSINT tools, as well as shared nameservers (which they changed as soon as we brought this to their attention) and countless other indicators, we can confirm without a shred of doubt that Raffi Avi owns and operates this award platform.
Despite Anto trying to deny association with the award website, ManhattanMusic.org, who picked MPT as their winner for “Best PR Firm” several years in a row – we have incontrovertible proof that Raffi Avi owns and operates Manhattan Music Awards. See the evidence by using the drop down box under the header below. Here’s a sneak peak:
More photo evidence located in the drop down box below.
We Have Receipts.
Click the Carrot to See Them.
See Photo Evidence: Manhattan Music Owned by MPT.
Consider it proven: MPT owns and operates ManhattanMusic.org.
They also own and operate about 10 other award sites, including 7bestpr.com, 10bestpr.ca, 10bestpr.com, and more.
We also spoke with one supposed recipient of the Manhattan Music Award, a playlist submission company that we have personally vetted and know is on the level. That company is called Moonstrive Media.
Given that we have a good rapport with that company, I was able to reach out to one of the execs at Moonstrive to get his take on the award he supposedly received.
This is What Moonstrive Said:
Interesting how the Manhattan Music Awards are supposedly something you have to apply to be apart of, and, even if someone applies on your behalf, there’s no way you could win the award without knowing about it. That’s because the rules clearly state that you will be contacted if you win, and you must be available at that time to provide Manhattan Music Awards with any press materials needed for the announcement campaign. Which I’m sure is not a real thing.
But it still show us that – if Moonstrive Media had supposedly won this award – they would have found out about it and been required to take action on it at some point.
🏆 So, Manhattan Music Awards is not real. It’s just part of MPT’s web of lies. They create awards so they actually have a shot at winning one. Because excellence is hard – and faking it turns out to be a lot easier than achieving it. Who needs to be awarded for greatness when you can make up an award and bully anyone who tries to deny you won it? That’s MPT.
More Made-Up Accolades
Beyond the Manhattan Music Awards, MPT also created, owns, and secretly operates dozens of fake press outlets, including “Sweet N Sour Magazine” and “Groovy Tracks.” These sites claim to provide credible press coverage, presenting themselves as reliable sources of industry news and insights.
MPT makes you think that this is press they have been able to secure for you out of sheer PR prowess and tireless effort. However, in reality, they are just nonsense websites created by MPT, owned by Raffi, and read by almost no one. Most of these “press” websites receive negligible traffic (less than a dozen site visits per month, in most cases), rendering them utterly useless for any real promotional value or impact in the vast digital landscape.
They serve only to create an illusion of legitimacy, a smokescreen to entice new clients while avoiding scrutiny from anyone who could call them out for it. PR has always been about selling a certain image, but this is not what is generally meant by that.
MusicPromoToday is only creating effective PR for themselves, and even that is something they are doing in the most morally dubious way possible.
By maintaining this façade of being high rolling industry players, shaking hands with every record label exec and rubbing elbows with every famous person, MPT aims to manipulate the perceptions of potential customers, convincing them of the success and reach their services can offer. Yet, behind the curtain, the truth remains starkly different, and there is nothing but deceit and darkness under the surface of Raffi and Anto’s hollow media empire.
Further investigation using WHOIS data uncovered a staggering number of domains linked to MPT executives Raffi Avi and Anto Dotcom. Many of these domains, such as “10BestPR.com” and “7bestpr.com,” are either empty shells or host dubious content.
These domains not only house fake blogs but are also potentially used for drop-catching schemes, a practice where expiring domains are purchased and resold or exploited. This domain hoarding creates a sprawling network of misinformation designed to inflate the company’s credibility artificially.
Adding to this, MPT artists often find themselves touted as nominees for prestigious awards they’ve never won or even been considered for, such as the Grammy’s. Such claims not only mislead the artists themselves but tarnish their reputations when the truth inevitably comes to light.
Smoking Guns
One of the most egregious offenses is MPT’s fraudulent claims regarding Spotify editorial playlists. Artists are charged exorbitant fees under the guise of securing placements, yet we found no evidence that MPT ever delivered on these promises. Instead, artists are funneled into bot playlists that artificially inflate their streaming numbers but leave them vulnerable to penalties, such as track removal from Spotify.
🚨 In one documented case, a representative named Ryan solicited $10,000 for high-end press (Earmilk & Vanity Fair) and $50,000 for a Spotify editorial playlist placement. Neither of these services are things MPT is capable of fulfilling.
🚨 When pressed, Ryan deflected and denied making these claims despite written evidence to the contrary. These practices not only exploit artists financially but also damage their reputations and career trajectories.
🚩 The impact of this fraud extends beyond wasted money. Artists who unknowingly pay for bot-driven playlist placements often see their tracks flagged by Spotify’s algorithms, resulting in reduced visibility, loss of streams, and permanent damage to their credibility within the industry. For many, the fallout is career-ending.
It Gets Worse…
OSINT shows that MPT is faking the press outlets where artists pay to be featured. They act like they’re landing those press placements for their artists, but they already own those websites and magazines, so they aren’t performing any service that you should be paying them for. And since almost no human traffic actually visits those sites, they aren’t worth much more than an Instagram post.
🎥 In the video below, watch a member of our investigative team, White Hat Initiative, find the smoking gun that proves MPT is fabricating all the press their artists are paying so much money for.
🎥 Exposing MPT’s Web of Lies:
Want to See More?
We though you might.
Click to See More Photo Evidence of Fake Press
More Abuse from MPT
Cybersecurity, Threats and Abuse
Our investigators faced significant risks while uncovering MPT’s fraudulent practices. Shortly after we initiated contact with MPT representatives, our team was targeted by cyberattacks, including a Remote Access Trojan (RAT). While we can’t prove MPT was the cause of those cyberattacks, we believe it is a safe assumption.
🎥 We Explore Their Network:
These attacks coincided with a wave of threatening emails from MPT executives, including Michael Arty, who issued physical threats and promised to sabotage our careers.
MPT Threatens MSA Reporters & Site Sponsor
You’re Probably Wondering: What’s This “Reddit Post” They’re Mentioning?
During the process of researching this story, we stumbled on the Manhattan Music Awards website. I was immediately interested in investigating that angle, because it was an award that MPT had apparently won.
What was strange about it is, no one would respond to me when I tried to contact the website owners via email, or via any other means I could find.
If someone had just gotten back to me and lied, saying MPT had in fact won this award, I might have just let it go. But they didn’t do that. And I thought that was weird.
I was speaking about this during a work meeting, and our site developer was there for that conference. She suggested looking Manhattan Music Awards up on Reddit for more information.
I thought that was a good idea, and I told her that. I mentioned that I would make a note to try searching the topic there later that night, but that I didn’t have a Reddit account, so, I didn’t really know how the platform worked. We left it at that. But, that night, our curious developer checked Reddit herself. She searched “Manhattan Music Awards” and found this post:
Our developer responded to it. She tells us that she simply felt sorry for the people on the thread, because she knows what it’s like to be bothered by a mystery that just refuses to be solved. But of course, we were already on the case.
Helpfully, she let everyone on the thread know that she worked for a blog that investigated scams in the music industry, and that currently the team was working on a story involving a PR firm. She noted that this PR firm had likely invented the entire award website, simply to give themselves the accolades – but mentioned that we had not yet substantiated that detail.
👩🏻⚖️ Being that Reddit is a public discussion forum, she’s not only well within her right to speculate there, but she was professional enough to note that it was, in fact, merely speculation at that point. (FYI: It’s no longer speculation).
There was nothing outrageous about this Reddit comment. Why MPT was so infuriated over it is a mystery, and it shows a disturbing trend of emotionally-unstable people over at MPT. To be totally honest with everyone, I have never met adults who behave the way MPT execs do. The way they handle themselves is deplorable, so much so it’s more confusing than it is intimidating.
Scam #3: Threats, Abuse, & (Potentially) Cyberattacks
MPT’s intimidation tactics didn’t stop at cyberattacks. They harassed our site developer on Reddit, using fake accounts to issue threats and spread misinformation. In one particularly bizarre incident, they impersonated representatives from G-Unit, claiming 50 Cent was going to retaliate against our team —a claim as ludicrous as it is troubling.
Needless to say, our developer never heard from Reasonable_Report_30 again.
But, the abusive behavior from MPT didn’t stop there. It extended to multiple investigators, with MPT sending dozens of emails filled with hostile language and baseless accusations of defamation. These messages often included veiled threats of physical harm and promises to ruin our careers.
While these tactics failed to deter our investigation, they serve as a stark reminder of MPT’s unethical and dangerous modus operandi.
✍🏻 You may be wondering how we know for sure our site developer was talking to MPT and not just some random Reddit user with an attitude problem. This is how we know:
Someone Save Dimash Qudaibergen!
During our investigation, we discovered that globally renowned operatic pop singer Dimash Qudaibergen had signed on with MPT to expand his audience in America. With millions of legitimate monthly listeners on Spotify and a devoted international fanbase, Dimash’s decision to work with MPT raises concerns about potential damage to his career.
We first came across Dimash on MPT’s social media page, in one of their “success” reels. Something about Dimash struck us as a little more seasoned than some of the other artists on MPT’s roster. When we checked him out, we were shocked at just how seasoned he really was. Not just seasoned – he’s a world famous super star. MPT must feel like they hit the jackpot. And that can’t bode well for this incredibly hard-working, profoundly deserving young star.
Attempts to contact Dimash’s team for comment were unsuccessful. Despite digging deep to try to find a working contact for his assistant – or a manager – a backup dancer – anyone. Anyone who could reach him and warn him. But, all attempts went unanswered. We were not terribly surprised. The more famous someone is, the harder they are to reach – even when it’s pretty important that you do.
Dimash does not deserve to have everything he’s accomplished world-wide come crashing down because of a contract with MPT. But we cannot seem to get a hold of anyone on his team, and attempts to reach out to his fanbase were also met with silence.
We think it’s likely that his fanbase just doesn’t know what we want, or why we are poking around asking questions about their favorite artist. We totally understand that, and we wish we could’ve been more forthcoming. But, during investigations, it’s important we don’t say too much, or else we put ourselves and our research at risk.
Correction: 01/29/2025 – It has come to our attention that, in earlier versions of this article, we erroneously labeled the source for the above image as coming from one of MPT’s own domains. That was an oversight on our part. The above photo and associated article comes from Digital Music News, which is a reputable news source and a long-standing press outlet covering artists and events within the music industry. Our sincerest apologies to Digital Music News, and to our readers, for the previous inaccuracy.
What Can Dimash Fans Do?
We have received dozens of outreach messages from concerned Dimash fans since we first published this article. To be clear, we did not anticipate Dimash being such a critical part of this story when we started researching it. Dimash stood out to us as something special, but it wasn’t until we had already published this article that we realized how dedicated his fanbase really is, and how clearly special he is to them. We want to help, assuming it’s feasible for us to do so.
🙏🏻 We urge anyone with connections to Dimash’s team, management, or associates, to attempt to warn Dimash about the precarious situation he’s entered into with MPT.
📬 Anyone from Dimash’s team is welcome to contact us at any time for more information, or just to touch base.
What’s the Big Deal About Dimash?
Well, he’s just extremely talented. Admittedly, none of us had ever heard of him before. But apparently, we are very much in the minority in that regard.
Dimash’s immense talent and six-octave range deserve genuine promotion, not the smoke and mirrors offered by MPT. His global reputation and undeniable skill stand at odds with the underhanded tactics of the agency he’s aligned with.
Dimash is not the only established artist drawn into MPT’s deceptive web. By targeting overseas talent unfamiliar with the American music market, MPT capitalizes on their vulnerabilities, presenting a facade of professionalism while delivering subpar and harmful results.
😨 Run, Dimash!!
The Broader Implications
Impact on the Industry
MPT’s fraudulent practices extend beyond individual artists, undermining the integrity of the entire music industry. By inflating metrics and promoting fake accolades, they contribute to a distorted marketplace where real talent struggles to shine. Artists who work hard to organically build their careers face an uneven playing field as MPT’s bot-driven scams skew visibility and opportunities.
International Vulnerability
Artists from overseas, unfamiliar with the nuances of the American music market, are particularly vulnerable to MPT’s schemes. MPT’s ability to present a facade of legitimacy through fabricated press and awards makes them a convincing option for those seeking U.S. exposure. Unfortunately, this veneer of authenticity crumbles upon closer examination, revealing a network of lies and deceit.
Conclusion:
Music Promo Today is not just a scam; it’s a sophisticated criminal operation that exploits artists’ dreams. From fake playlist placements to fabricated awards, their business model is built on deception.
For the artists who pay MPT’s $10,000 monthly fees, the return is nothing but bot-driven streams and fake press placements.
🏆 Their promises of Grammy nominations and prestigious awards are hollow, leaving their clients in worse positions than when they started. Some artists on MPT’s roster are even made to believe they’ve actually won a Grammy when they have not.
Sharing Is Caring
As journalists and fellow artists, we here at MSA cannot remain silent in the face of such blatant malpractice, and absurd deceptions. We urge all artists to thoroughly vet promotional agencies before signing contracts and to consider sharing this article widely to raise awareness.
Sharing Helps Others Avoid Scams
If someone you know has fallen prey to MPT, reach out to us at Music Scam Alert. Together, we can shed light on these dark corners of the industry and protect artists from falling victim to similar scams. We’re here for you.
The Saga Continues:
There’s A Part Two Out Now!
The Saga Continues…
Super Sleuths:
Do You Have Leads for Us?
If you have any information on this case that we haven’t covered which you think could potentially be important – or if you’ve noticed something in this evidence that we missed, we’d love to hear from you about it.
Now Taking Messages on Reddit!
We’ve noticed that our readers seem to prefer the anonymity of Reddit PMs. For that reason, we setup a Reddit account just for Music Scam Alert staff. We will check the PMs there frequently, and while it may not be as immediate as emailing us, you are welcome to speak with us through that channel if you prefer. We will leave links to that contact, as well as our regular email contact, just below this paragraph.
Have Info to Share?
Contact Us:
🐰 Stay safe, stay informed, and keep fighting the good fight.
Stay in the loop,
– Music Scam Alert Staff
don’t get duped.
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2 responses to “Music Promo Today: MPT Agency”
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Váš článek byl doručen týmu Dimashe.
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Mockrát vám děkujeme – velmi si vážíme vaší pomoci v této věci, protože chceme, aby každý měl všechny informace a mohl učinit nejlepší rozhodnutí pro sebe a svou kariéru. Vaše pomoc je pro nás skutečně cenná. -Music Scam Alert
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2 responses to “Music Promo Today: MPT Agency”
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Váš článek byl doručen týmu Dimashe.
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Mockrát vám děkujeme – velmi si vážíme vaší pomoci v této věci, protože chceme, aby každý měl všechny informace a mohl učinit nejlepší rozhodnutí pro sebe a svou kariéru. Vaše pomoc je pro nás skutečně cenná. -Music Scam Alert
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