Dubsend and CTRL PROMO compared
Both send promos to a label's own DJ, radio and press contacts, with no shared pool, and ask for feedback before the download. The differences are in how you pay, what the feedback asks, the files DJs get and the extras for agencies.
Published .
Dubsend publishes this page. It compares our product with CTRL PROMO using CTRL PROMO's public website, help pages and terms, listed under Sources with the day we checked them. Prices and features change, so check their site before you decide.
The same job
CTRL PROMO describes itself as "Professional DJ promo. Built for scale", for record labels, PR agencies and music companies. Its site says promos go to the DJs you have built relationships with and that it doesn't provide mailing lists. Dubsend works the same way: you send to your own list, and Dubsend doesn't provide or sell contacts.
Prices
| CTRL PROMO | Dubsend | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | None listed | Free plan with no time limit: 1 promo every 30 days, 100 recipients a month |
| Monthly plans | Basic £26 for 3 promos, Premium £50 for 6, Extreme £140 for 18, Pro £380 for 40 with white label | Artist £12, Label £29, Pro £79 a month, unlimited promos |
| Pay per promo | £12 per promo | None |
| What the limit counts | Promos a month; no recipient limit stated | Unique people emailed a month: Artist 500, Label 2,500, Pro 10,000 |
| Labels per account | Unlimited on every plan | 1 brand on Free, Artist and Label, 5 on Pro |
| VAT | The pricing page says tax included; the terms of service say fees exclude VAT, which is added unless you aren't liable for UK VAT | Included in the price |
An example. A label sends 4 promos a month to 1,500 contacts. On CTRL PROMO that fits the Premium plan at £50 a month (6 promos). On Dubsend it fits the Label plan at £29 a month, which covers 2,500 recipients a month with unlimited promos.
A label that sends one promo every couple of months pays £12 per promo on CTRL PROMO's pay as you go. On Dubsend it can use the Free plan if its list has 100 people or fewer, or the Artist plan at £12 for a month when it sends. An agency running promos for many labels gets unlimited labels on every CTRL PROMO plan; Dubsend Pro has up to 5 brands.
Feedback
| CTRL PROMO | Dubsend | |
|---|---|---|
| Before download | On by default, can be turned off per promo | On by default, can be optional or off per promo |
| Rating | Out of 10 | 1 to 5 stars |
| Other questions | A comment; its help pages also mention picking a favourite track | A favourite track when there is more than one, how they will support it (In my sets, Radio show, Playlist or Not sure yet) and a comment of at least 15 characters |
| Declining | A "Not For Me" button | A Pass button |
| Showing feedback to others | Feedback can be shown to other subscribers or hidden | Feedback is seen by the label and, if shared, in the artist report |
Files and downloads
| CTRL PROMO | Dubsend | |
|---|---|---|
| Uploads | WAV, AIFF or MP3 | WAV, AIFF or FLAC |
| What DJs download | From a WAV: the WAV, a 320 kbps MP3 and optionally AIFF; from an MP3: MP3 only | MP3, WAV and AIFF from every upload, the WAV unchanged |
| Tags in the files | ID3 tags including the ISRC | The recipient's name and email, your brand, the release details and the cover |
| Ways to download | Single tracks, a ZIP or saving to Dropbox | Single tracks, a ZIP, or saving to Dropbox from the DJ's inbox |
Reminders
CTRL PROMO lets you send up to 2 reminders per promo, scheduled at the times you choose. They aren't sent to people who already left feedback or pressed Not For Me.
Dubsend sends up to two reminders (after 3 and 10 days by default, both editable) to people who haven't opened the promo page, downloaded or given feedback, and a Nudge button emails people who listened and left no feedback, once each. Nobody gets more than 3 emails per promo.
Stats and reports
CTRL PROMO shows opens, plays, downloads, ratings and response rate per release, with delivery, opens and clicks for every contact. Reports export as PDF or Word, or are shared as a link.
Dubsend counts the seconds each person actually played, track by track, and lists opens caused by email privacy tools (such as Apple Mail) separately. Reports are a read-only link, with an end date if you like, or a PDF, with DJ names shown or hidden. Reports never show email addresses.
Branding, agencies and teams
- CTRL PROMO: each label has its own name, logo, sender details and bio on every plan. The £380 Pro plan adds white label: your own subdomain, branded emails and invitations, and separate client label profiles, with a small "Powered by" note in the footer. Team seats aren't described on its pages.
- Dubsend: paid plans put your logo, colours, fonts and one of four layouts on the email and the promo page, sent as "Your brand via Dubsend". Label includes 3 team seats and Pro 10, with Editor and Viewer roles. On Pro an agency account can run up to 5 client brands with up to 5 read-only logins per client, and a label on any plan can share a brand with an agency.
Where CTRL PROMO fits better
- You send a promo now and then and prefer paying £12 per promo.
- You run promos for many labels and want unlimited labels on every plan.
- You need a white-label platform on your own subdomain for clients.
- You want to flag releases as radio embargoed or club play only.
- You want reports as Word documents, or ISRCs written into the file tags.
- You want smart links, QR codes and fan gate links in the same account.
Where Dubsend fits better
- You want a free plan with no time limit to send real promos.
- You send several promos a month and want one flat price with unlimited promos.
- You want listening time per track as the main number, with privacy-tool opens kept apart.
- You want to upload FLAC or AIFF as well as WAV and still offer DJs MP3, WAV and AIFF, every file tagged with their name.
- You want feedback that asks how DJs will support a release, and a nudge for people who listened without answering.
- You want team seats with Editor and Viewer roles, a join page with double opt-in, and a free inbox where DJs keep every promo.
Moving to Dubsend
- Export your mailing list as a CSV file from your current tool or your own records.
- Import it into Dubsend and record how you got consent: they asked for your promos, or they are an existing professional contact.
- Set up your brand kit and send your next promo. Your earlier promos and stats stay where they are.
Questions
Is Dubsend cheaper than CTRL PROMO?
For labels that send several promos a month, usually yes: Dubsend's paid plans have unlimited promos from £12 a month, and CTRL PROMO's monthly plans start at £26 for 3 promos. For an occasional promo, CTRL PROMO's pay as you go is £12 per promo, and Dubsend's Free plan covers 100 recipients a month.
Do either of them have a shared DJ pool?
No. Both send to the label's own contacts, and neither provides mailing lists.
How many labels can I run from one account?
CTRL PROMO allows unlimited labels on every plan. Dubsend has 1 brand on Free, Artist and Label and up to 5 on Pro.
Do DJs need a Dubsend account?
No. They open a personal link from the email in any browser. They can also keep all their Dubsend promos in a free inbox at dubsend.com/inbox.
Sources
- CTRL PROMO home page and pricing, checked
- CTRL PROMO DJ promo service, checked
- CTRL PROMO: shared promo pool, checked
- CTRL PROMO white label, checked
- CTRL PROMO terms of service, checked
- CTRL PROMO help: how it works, checked
- CTRL PROMO help: mailing lists, checked
- CTRL PROMO help: reminders, checked
- CTRL PROMO help: WAV files, checked
- CTRL PROMO help: ID3 tags, checked
- CTRL PROMO help: multiple labels, checked
- CTRL PROMO help: statistics, checked
- CTRL PROMO help: showing feedback, checked