Music release promotion timeline

Nothing in this window is promotion, and everything in it decides whether promotion works. Finish the master, the artwork, the credits and the metadata. Decide the release date and check that it does not collide with a major release in your genre. Register the work, confirm the splits, and make sure the distributor has everything well before the deadline.

Build the media and curator lists now, not the week of release. Twenty to forty names with a recorded source, a genre note and a contact route is enough for a first wave. If you are using an outreach platform, this is also when you set up the sending identity, authenticate the domain and verify the contacts, so the first campaign does not start with a deliverability problem.

Press and blogs get the first pitch because they need the most lead time. Use the press release email template: a news-led subject, two sentences of hook, five facts, one link. Offer a premiere to your best-fit outlet, with a firm date and a private stream you can actually keep private.

The editorial pitch inside Spotify for Artists must be submitted before the release date, and it is worth doing early rather than on release morning. Pick one track, describe the genre and mood honestly, and make sure the artist profile is complete. If the release has a strong visual asset, prepare it now as well, because press requests arrive in a cluster.

Curators and radio can hear the record now, so this is when the main wave goes out. Segment by genre and outlet type, write a first line for each recipient, and keep the volume steady rather than dumping everything on one day. Use the curator pitch template and the radio approach that fits the station type.

Two weeks out is also the moment to check the mechanics one last time: does the presale link work, is the clean edit uploaded, is the artwork on the distributor’s servers, does the smart link resolve on a phone. A broken link during release week costs replies you cannot recover.

On release day, send one short announcement to your own audience — not a second pitch to the media list. Answer replies, supply assets quickly, and log every request. One follow-up to non-responding press and curators five to seven working days later is appropriate if you can add something: a live session, a second track, an early review.

The four weeks after release are the most neglected and the most useful. Collect what happened: replies, coverage, playlist additions you can verify, saves, and which outlets and playlists actually moved. That record is the input for the next release plan, and it is worth more than a post-release spike you cannot explain.

Week minus eight: master and artwork final, distributor delivery booked. Week minus six: twenty-five press and blog pitches sent, editorial pitch submitted with a clean edit. Week minus four: thirty curator pitches and eight radio pitches, split across three days. Week minus two: mechanics check, premiere confirmed, presale live.

Release week: one announcement to the fan list, replies handled, assets sent the same day. Week plus one: one follow-up with a live session. Weeks plus two to four: collect coverage, verified playlist adds and saves, and write a one-page review for the next release. Total outreach: 63 first emails plus follow-ups, within a Starter allowance.