The Ultimate Release Checklist for Independent Artists
So you have written a song, had it produced, and you’re now ready to put your single out into the world? Releasing music can be exciting, but sometimes it feels overwhelming to keep track of all the details. Don't worry! Here is a helpful how-to guide that provides a release checklist for independent musicians – so everything runs smoothly and your release has maximum impact. But be warned⸺you’ll need a minimum of six to eight weeks of prep time for an impactful campaign.
8 weeks from release:
The timeline for your release cycle begins 8 weeks before the release date. This is the ideal time to strategize and plan your release rollout for maximum effectiveness. At this stage you should begin planning your social media strategy, press and publicity campaign, streaming promotion, and digital marketing components at a minimum. If you are working with a team, this is the perfect time to loop them in on the upcoming release and make sure they are well-prepared with the timeline and assets they need to complete the work. If you are doing it on your own, then it’s important to map out each of these elements and the deadlines that each of them will be completed by so that you can ensure nothing falls through the cracks on release day.
Remember, If you don’t take the time to lay the groundwork and plan your promotional strategy, your release will not have the same impact.
6 weeks from release:
This is the timeline to begin making sure you have all of your assets in place. You will need to have your fully mixed and mastered song along with professional press images to use for any coverage you secure, your single/album artwork, a private listening/viewing link for your single (viewing if you have a music video), an artist bio, and all websites and social media links up to date. Take the next two weeks to ensure that all promotional materials have been completed so you can work seamlessly throughout the rest of the release cycle and avoid delays.
4 weeks from release:
By this point, you should have all of your assets in place and should be able to confidently confirm your release date. Make sure you upload your music to a distributor so it’s delivered to stores/platforms on the day of its release. It is super important to register your tracks with your chosen performance and mechanical rights organization in your territory. You’ll need your ISRC code for this - it's an internationally recognized tracking code for music.
Once your song has been delivered to the DSP’s, it’s recommended to upload a quality canvas to your track(s) as they are shown to increase track streams, shares, and saves.
Quick note: allow a minimum of 10 days for this process – more if you can. The earlier you upload your release for distribution, the more opportunities you can take advantage of (such as pitching to Spotify editorial playlists). The general rule of thumb is to upload your release 2-3 weeks in advance… but we recommend 4 weeks in advance if possible, to ensure there is ample time for promotion and corrections, should they have to be made.
2 weeks from release:
Now you are ready to pitch your music to editorial playlists via the Spotify For Artists pitching tool. If you're a new artist and you don't have a Spotify for Artist's account yet, ask your distributor for a link so you can gain access.
If you’re handling your own PR and marketing, now is the time to reach out to a few key blogs and radio shows to let them know your new release is coming. You can look up some potential blogs and playlists by visiting Submithub or Groover. Send them a clear and concise email that highlights key info about you and your release (try to keep it to no more than a sentence or two) along with your release date and a private streaming link, your bio, and press images. It’s best to link them to the Google Drive or Dropbox folder you made earlier as large attachments can get lost.
If you’re not working with a team, you’ll also want to start implementing your digital marketing strategy with ads that drive listeners to your profiles (This is a good way to market your Spotify pre-save link and secure playlist adds before release day). This can be done with targeted social ads or with Spotify’s new Marquee feature that advertises directly on Spotify - or a combination of the two!
1 week from release:
It’s almost time! Ensure that your website and all online profiles are fully updated. This includes Spotify, Apple Music, Facebook 'about' page, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Upload new photos to make your artist image pop, update the bio section, and make sure there is a link available for fans to support you!
Get your fans excited! Tease the release date with a post on your social media channels. If you have a pre-save link for your release, this is the perfect time to share it and secure those presaves! If there’s a video, you might like to share a snippet from it. Or you might like to share a story about the track or the single/ album artwork. During this week you could change your profile picture to your new press image across your social media platforms. Everything you do should be encouraging your listeners to follow you on Spotify and other streaming platforms so that your music will pop up on their release radars on release day.
Day of release:
The day is here!! Your smartURL will rescan on release day and provide links to all major streaming platforms. Post your track EVERYwhere you can think of. On your socials and elsewhere. If you have a database of fan emails, you might want to email them with the new song. You can also update your artist pick on Spotify to feature the new track. Spotify also has a Promo Card feature that allows you to spotlight your content and is perfect for sharing on socials!
Register your lyrics on Genius.com - where you can also apply to become a verified artist. Additionally, we recommend also registering your lyrics on Musixmatch - this is the site that pulls lyrics for instagram stories.
Post on Instagram reels, TikTok and YouTube shorts about your new song. These are the three platforms we would recommend posting on the most. Use the delivered audio on-platform to create a video to share your release. Don't worry if it's not polished, the more organic and naturally 'you' the better. You can also post the same content across all three platforms, don't tire yourself out creating content for each one. Try to post as often as you can, using the delivered audio for at least two weeks following your release.
Following Your Release:
Make sure you are pushing for people to engage with your Spotify profile. Especially the 'follow' button. Keep an eye on your socials. Be sure to thank as many people as you can who engage with your track! Update your profile and lyrics on all the platforms that you possibly can.
Sign up for Spotify for Artists and Apple for Artists and check if you have been added to any playlists. If you have, share the good news on social media - be sure to tag and say thanks. We also recommend using Chartmetric to monitor for playlists and progress. Make your new release a ‘priority track’ on Spotify. You can do this via your Spotify for Artists page and update your Spotify profile pic.
Produce a ‘bragging’ sheet for your project. Choose your best ‘wins’ and compile them into a document. These could be reviews, notable radio plays, media quotes, info about playlists you have been on or other notable things you’ve done. Use this as a type of reference sheet for when you contact other industry professionals about your music such as booking agents, managers and publishers.
You did it! You made some amazing music and you’ve released it to the world. Make sure to take the time to soak in all you’ve accomplished. It’s no simple feat!
Releasing music as an independent musician can be a challenging experience. There are so many elements to juggle at the same time ON TOP of finding time to create music and content to engage your fans. This is where working with a team can be super useful - experienced professionals who come alongside you, execute proven release strategies, maximize your release efforts, and give you TIME and ENERGY to do what you love… creating music.
If you’ve read this far, we at PressedFresh Collective would love to be the team that helps make your releases run seamlessly from start to finish. We can work with a large variety of budgets to stack products and services on an as-needed-basis so that you’re always met with exactly what you need at exactly the right time. Get in touch with our team today to set up a customized plan for your release!
In addition, here are some helpful links to help show you how to promote your project: