MUSIC RELEASE STRATEGY FOR ARTISTS

A 25 step guide to releasing your own records

By Aubrey Whitfield
www.aubreywhitfield.com
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ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Releasing a single, EP or album is quite a time consuming task - and without advance
planning, it can mean that your beloved release doesn’t get the justice it deserves. This guide is
designed to help you with that. It is based upon release strategies that record labels use and
tailored to work for independent artists like yourself. It’s also based on my two decades of
knowledge working as a producer and label owner.

I have broken this guide down into 7 separate phases, and 24 different steps, which you should
follow in chronological order to make best use of it. This strategy should work for single
releases, EPs and albums; although I would say it’s better suited to single releases.

I have also included some useful guides in the Annex at the end of this document, including
information on scheduling your social media posts, and about entering the Official Charts. I have
also included a sample Press Release and a release 'Worksheet’. The Worksheet links to the
steps in this strategy so you can tick off each task when you’ve completed it, so you can keep
on top of what you need to do.

WHEN TO USE THIS GUIDE

Only turn to this release strategy, when your song is all ready for release. That means it’s all
produced, mixed and mastered and sitting on the shelf ready to be released. Otherwise it will
cause you problems down the line! So make sure your song is ready for release, then get
started with this strategy.

In the first instance, make sure you have signed up for a ​Spotify for Artists​ account ​HERE​ as
you will need that for this strategy. You should be able to sign up for this even if you haven’t
released any songs yet. It will get your Spotify artist account verified (the blue tick!) but also
allows you to edit your bio and photos on Spotify.

So…..best of luck and I hope you enjoy the journey!

Aubrey Whitfield
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1/ P R E P A R A T I O N A N D P L A N N I N G P H A S E

The very first step is to choose a release date for your single. Release dates tend to fall on a
Friday to align with the Official Charts processes. So to ensure this plan works, you’ll need to
pick a Friday that is at least 3 weeks in advance​ to give you enough time to prepare for the
release and lay the ground-work. Not only that, it will give enough time for your Digital
Distributor to send your song to ALL available online stores. Distributors advise a release date 3
weeks in advance for a reason - to ensure that your song is available on ​all​ platforms. So heed
to this advice!

Work out when the date of the nearest Friday is and then add
3 weeks on to it - that will be your release date.

Once you have the release date set, it’s time to start all the prep for your release! Below is a list
of the tasks you need to complete in this preparation and planning phase. Most of this might
seem obvious, but it’s important to get it all done as soon as possible to avoid any stresses later
on. Remember to tick these tasks off with the Worksheet template:

STEP 1: ​GET ARTWORK DESIGNED FOR YOUR RELEASE

Every release requires cover artwork. The online stores will reject your artwork if it doesn’t
clearly ​have the artist name and song name on the cover.​ So make sure this matches the
song details. You can’t put anything else on the cover in terms of text, except for the artist name
and the song name. It also needs to be a certain size or it can get rejected.

You can now design your own artwork quite easily using apps such as Canva. Or you could hire
a graphic designer to do it for you. Also, some distributors offer a service where they design the
artwork for you. Either way, you need artwork for your release and the better it looks, the more
chance of it catching someone’s eye. Often, you want artwork that is going to reflect who you
are as an artist and reflect your style of music (i.e. a fleshy skull with worms coming out of it
wouldn’t quite work for a bubblegum pop song!)

Recommended places where you can get your artwork designed:

● Canva: download from the App Store

● Hire a graphic designer by running a design contest: ​www.99designs.com
● Artwork designed on a budget: ​www.fiverr.com
● Sara Creativa graphic designer: ​www.saracreativa.com
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STEP 2​: GET A LYRIC VIDEO DONE

Lyric videos are a great way of having a video of your song on YouTube without forking out £2k
for a flashy video shoot. A lyric video can cost in the region of £200 (or even less) and is a great
way to show off the lyrics and meaning behind your song. Having a lyric video or even an official
video (by ‘official’ I mean a video shoot etc) is not compulsory by any means so if you don’t
have the budget for a lyric video then don’t worry too much. Having a lyric video can just open
up more doors for you and perhaps reach a wider audience - and YouTube can be a powerful
platform for independent artists.

It can take a couple of weeks to get a lyric video done so I’d advise that you look into getting this
done before you upload your track to the digital distributor.

Recommended lyric video companies:

● Fiverr: ​www.fiverr.com
● View Maniac: ​www.viewmaniac.com

For full professional video companies:

● Budget Music Videos​: w ​ ww.budgetmusicvideo.co.uk

Make your own video on a budget:

● Rotor Videos: ​www.rotorvideos.com

STEP 3​: PLAN A MINI TOUR AND/OR LAUNCH GIG

Artists who have record labels will usually have a launch gig for their new release - especially
for EPs and albums. It’s a great way of getting people to see you live, but to also promote your
release directly to fans. Other artists plan a mini tour instead by doing gigs in various local
towns on the run up to, and during, their release.

Either way, playing live is the bread and butter of any artist and it is the best way in which to
gain exposure and new fans. However, many artists don’t perform live and find it difficult to find
places to play. My first point here is that​ you should be playing live!​ It's so important as an
artist to do this.

Secondly, you can easily find promoters who can get you gigs at showcases and at local
venues but you’ll need a decent recording or two, or a live video of your last gig to prove your
performance ability. You could, however, for a launch gig hire a local venue and then find some
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support acts and turn it into a big night of independent music. But of course, that will cost
money.

Out of these two options I would say that ​planning around 3-5 gigs in your local area from
the week before your release date,​ will be much more beneficial and cost-effective. You’ll
have to do your own research to find local promoters and venues, but there are some national
and international websites that list decent gig slots. So it may also be a good idea to start there!

If you’re struggling to find anywhere to play, or it’s just not for you, then why don’t you do an
online ‘live stream release launch party’ instead? That way you are still kind of performing live
but doing it from the comfort of your own home or studio and without paying anything.You will
basically be doing a live gig, streamed over the internet, from a location of your choice. Lots of
artists do this now.

Recommended Gig Promoters:

● Gigmit: ​www.gigmit.com
● Live and Loud: ​www.liveandloud.com
● Gigswell: ​www.gigswell.com
● Starnow: ​www.starnow.com
● UseYourEars (London): ​www.useyourears.co.uk
● Nambucca: ​www.nambucca.co.uk

Live Streaming Platforms:

● Facebook: ​www.facebook.com
● YouTube: ​www.youtube.com
● Instagram: ​www.instagram.com
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2/ D I S T R I B U T I O N PHASE

WHEN: at least 3 weeks before release

STEP 4: ​UPLOAD YOUR RELEASE TO A DIGITAL DISTRIBUTOR:

For those who are new to this, to get your song in all the online stores such as Spotify, Apple
Music, Itunes, Deezer etc, you will need to sign up with a digital distributor who will do this on
your behalf. The deal is that you either pay a fee per year to upload as many releases as you
like and receive 100% of your sales royalties, or you don’t pay any upfront fee at all, but the
distributor will take X% of your sales royalties. The terms will vary depending on each distributor
(see my recommended digital distributors below for more info on this).

It might seem obvious but the sooner you upload your song to your chosen digital distributor the
better! You could upload your release a couple of months in advance if you wanted to. But
either way, just make sure you upload the song at least ​three weeks in advance​.

To successfully upload your song you will need all the artwork done, you’ll need details of the
songwriter(s), producer(s) and the ‘Master’ track of your song (most distributors only accept your
song in WAV format at 24 or 16 bit but some will accept it in mp3 as well. My strong advice is to
upload a WAV file rather than an mp3. That is because mp3 is of much lower quality than a
WAV).

Digital Distributor Fees Royalties

Distrokid $19.99 per year unlimited Keep 100%

releases

Ditto Music £19 per year unlimited Keep 100%

releases

CD Baby $9.95 per single or $49.00 Keep 91%

per album and pay these fees
per release

Tunecore $9.99 per single or $29.99 Keep 100%

per album and pay these fees
every year,​ ​per release
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CATALOGUE NUMBERS:​ You might also be asked for a catalogue number (which will come in
useful later on if you are tracking the release in the Charts) and it is up to you to make up a
catalogue number. It usually goes something like this: LABEL NAME-ARTIST-NAME-RELEASE
NUMBER. So for my single it was ECHODROPAW001 (you don’t need a label though so you
could drop that bit or make something up - there are no hard or fast rules!)

ISRC CODES:​ An ISRC code (International Standard Recording Code) is basically a unique
code that identifies your releases and video recordings. Think of it like the digital fingerprint of
your release which tracks the sales of your release all over the world. Every release needs an
ISRC. The good news is that all of the digital distributors will automatically generate an ISRC
code for each recording you register with them. But if you wanted to you could get your own
codes, which is what record labels have, but usually that is because they distribute their own
records. So you might be asked by your distributor for an ISRC, if you have one. If you don’t,
one will be assigned for you and to be perfectly honest, you don’t need your own at this stage!

But if you want your own ISRC codes, you will need to apply to the relevant agency in your
country. For the UK that is the ​PPL​. For all other countries, you can check your national agency
here: ​https://isrc.ifpi.org/en/contact/national-agency-contacts

STEP 5: ​FOR SONGWRITERS​: ​REGISTER YOUR RELEASE WITH THE RELEVANT

ROYALTY COLLECTION SOCIETY FOR ‘PERFORMANCE ROYALTIES’

There are organisations in your country that will collect your performance and mechanical
royalties on your behalf. This includes when your song has been played on radio, in clubs, at
gigs (performance royalties for songwriters) and when your song has been reproduced
(mechanical royalties which are less likely during the early stages of your career so we won’t
concentrate too much on them in this guide).

The most important of these when you are an unknown artist is making sure you are signed up
to get your performance royalties collected - but this ​only applies if you are the songwriter​ of the
single. ​The ​songwriter​ is entitled to performance royalties​, the artist isn’t if they didn’t write
the song. However, ​the ​artist​ will be entitled to money from the sales of the single​ - but
those royalties are collected by your digital distributor. If you have a publisher, however, they
will usually do all of this on your behalf and collect your songwriting royalties for you and then
pay you according to your agreement with them.

But assuming that you don’t have a publisher, you’ll have to do all of this yourself. So make sure
you sign up to the relevant royalty collection society in your country before the song is released.
To do this you will need the CAE/IPI number of any other songwriters (this is their identification
number from their royalty collection society, you will have one too when you sign up), as well as
the title of the release, the duration of it etc. You might also need that catalogue number and
ISRC code (which you can get from your digital distributor once you have registered your
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release). When you register the release to your royalty collection society, you’ll be given a
reference and what’s called a ‘tune code’ for each release.

In the UK, the ​PRS​ is the company that collects royalties for songwriters and composers. In the
US it tends to be ​ASCAP​ or B​ MI.​ For any other countries, click on this link to see who is your
country’s performance collection society:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_copyright_collection_societies

STEP 6:​ ​FOR COPYRIGHT OWNERS OF THE MASTER RECORDING:​ ​REGISTER

THE RELEASE WITH THE RELEVANT ROYALTY COLLECTION SOCIETY:​ Whereas
companies like the PRS/ASCAP/BMI collect and distribute money on behalf of the
songwriters for use of their songs (compositions and lyrics), there is usually another
company who collects and distributes money on behalf of the copyright owner of the
master recording (usually the artist or a record label). Basically, they issue licenses to
the likes of broadcasters, radio stations, businesses for the right to use your recorded
music. And then you get paid royalties for the use of these licences. This doesn’t apply
to the songwriters necessarily - just whoever owns that master recording.

In the UK, the company that does all of this on behalf of performers and record labels is
the ​PPL​ and the US is usually ​Sound Exchange

So make sure you register your release with these guys as well by creating an account
with them. You can only do this if you are the copyright owner though.

STEP 7: ​WRITE AN OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE​:

A Press Release is basically a one-page brief of your release. It usually includes a brief
overview of the artist and their notable successes, and then a description of the song that’s
being released (such as genre, influences etc), and then finally contact details at the end which
usually includes a downloadable link to the release for easy download by the media.

Press Releases are often sent to media outlets such as Blogs, Radio Stations, Magazines etc.
So it’s worth doing one in case any of these people asks for you one, but you should be
proactively sending your Press Release out when you contact blogs etc.

I have attached a Press Release template in the Anne as a starting point for you.
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STEP 8:​ SET-UP A MAILING LIST:

What you should also be doing is setting up a mailing list, which is basically a database full of
useful information on your fans; such as their email address, phone numbers and locations. This
is powerful information and apparently fans are more likely to pay attention to emails than
tweets or social media updates.

So set up a mailing list using the likes of ​MailChimp​ and start posting the link where people can
sign-up. Then every time you have important news on a release, a gig, an interview,
merchandise etc, you can email them all and increase your chances of getting more streams!
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3/ P R E P A R I N G L I N K S P H A S E

WHEN: One week before release date

This is when most of the hard graft will take place. So make sure you set aside some time to get
all of this done. Failure to spend time at this stage could really affect how successful the release
is.

STEP 9:​ GET YOUR PRE-SAVE LINKS WHEN AVAILABLE:

Spotify and Apple Music both offer a ‘pre-save’ function which is basically a pre-order tool for
your release on the streaming sites. It means that on release day, all of those people who have
pre-saved your single will then have the full song available in their Spotify libraries at midnight in
their country - and this can be great for sparking a surge in first day streams/sales and
propelling your song up the charts and into the laps of Spotify playlist curators.

Within 7 days of submitting your single to your digital distributor, you should receive an email
directly from Spotify confirming they have received your release (for this to happen though you
need to be signed up to their Spotify for Artists so make sure you do this ASAP). Your digital
distributor may also let you know that it’s been delivered to Spotify. Once this happens you need
to get hold of the ​Spotify URI​ for the release which, before release date, is basically your
pre-save link!

To get your URI before it’s released, you usually need to contact your Digital Distributor and ask
them for it, which is another reason why you should plan your releases 3 weeks in advance as
all of this takes up precious time! Distributors like CD Baby have planned for this and allow you
to find out your pre-save link using ​www.show.co

STEP 10:​ CREATE A SMARTLINK FOR YOUR RELEASE

Once you get your pre-save link off your Digital Distributor, the next step is to create what’s
called a ​Smartlink​ which is basically a singular weblink that your fans can click on and it will let
them choose where to stream or buy your single. So it’s a hassle free way for your fans to listen
to your track and to pre-save it.

To get your smartlink you can create a free account with a smartlink provider. You then copy
and paste the Spotify or Apple Music URI into their search engine and their software will find
your release across multiple online stores and then cram all that information into one link that
you can give your fans. Be aware though that BEFORE the release date, the Smartlink provider
might not be able to detect your release in many stores because they simply haven’t been
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delivered to them yet. That’s why on release date you should revisit the Smartlink site and
refresh the link so it will do a new updated search of your release.

Below are some of the most popular smarklink sites:

Recommended Smarklink providers:

● Linkfire: ​www.linkfire.com
● Amplify: ​www.amplify.link
● Listen: ​www.listen.it
● Songwhip: ​www.songwhip.com

STEP 11:​ PREPARE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS IN ADVANCE:

Social media is a powerful tool in which to promote your new release. So use it to its fullest
potential. What will save you a lot of time and effort is scheduling all of your social media posts
in advance. This will help you to ensure that you're plugging your song regularly and to create a
singular memorable brand for the release. You can use apps such as Apphi, Hootsuite or Buffer
to schedule your posts.

Your social media posts should start around a week before your release date.​ First, start
with the artwork a week before with the release date. Then two days later, maybe show them a
15 second snippet of the chorus, and then another 2 days later show them a preview of the lyric
video. You can show them as little or as much as you like. I have attached a social media
planner guide at the end of this document to help with this.

Recommended Social Media Scheduling apps (download them from the App store):

1. Apphi
2. Hootsuite
3. Buffer
4. Social Pilot

You also want to make sure that your social media posts look professional and slick. There are
many apps out there that do all of the hard work for you by offering up templates and easy
editing tools. Try exploring some of these apps for creating social media posts and videos
effortlessly:
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Recommended Social Media design apps (download them from the App Store):

1. Canva
2. RIPL
3. inShot (for video)
4. Werble
5. Splice
6. Photogrid
7. PicsArt

STEP 12​: UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE WITH RELEASE DETAILS:

If you don’t have a website yet, then you should have. It’s where fans will go first to find out
details about the artists they adore. If a new fan does a google search and can’t find your
website, then you could be potentially missing out on enticing that fan to buy your other
releases, or purchasing some merchandise. Don’t worry too much if you don’t have a website
ready for your first couple of releases, but it is something you should be looking to get set-up
ASAP. You don’t have to hire an expensive web designer anymore to do this for you. There are
plenty of ‘DIY’ websites that mean you can set up a professional looking website using
templates, and without any technical skills.

You will need to purchase a domain name, such as ​www.artistname.com​ to publish your
website, and most of the time you need what’s called ‘hosting’ to go with the domain name
which is basically the hosting platform on which people can access your website. Most domain
name companies will include hosting when you purchase a domain name, but it will incur a
regular cost, yet this is usually annual or 3 yearly and is a fairly modest cost:

Recommended DIY website builders:

● Wix: ​www.wix.com
● Squarespace: ​www.squarespace.com
● Wordpress: ​www.wordpress.com
● Go Daddy: ​www.godaddy.com

Recommended hosting and domain name providers:

● Go Daddy: ​www.godaddy.com
● 1-2-3 Reg: ​www.123-reg.co.uk
● Blue Host: ​www.bluehost.com
● Fast hosts: ​www.fasthosts.co.uk
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4/ C R E A T I N G A H Y P E P H A S E

WHEN: 5 days before release date

STEP 13:​ UPLOAD YOUR TRACK AS ‘PRIVATE’ ON SOUNDCLOUD

In this instance, we are using Soundcloud merely as a way in which playlist curators
and music blogs can listen, and download, your track before it gets released. Doing as
much applying to music blogs (in particular) in advance is good, but ​many Spotify
playlist curators will want to wait until your release goes live on Spotify​. Either
way, preparing a downloadable link of your track on Soundcloud for the media and
playlist curators is a very useful thing to do!

Create a free account on Soundcloud (if you haven’t already) and upload your
unreleased track there. Make sure you set this as ‘private’ to prevent it getting shared to
the masses! Upload the artwork as well, and say a little bit about the release. Go to the
settings and make sure that you have ‘enable downloads’ selected. Then make a note
of the secret link that you can share to whoever you want (​note:​ don’t copy and paste
the link from the web browser as that won’t work - it has to be the link button within
Soundcloud).

Create a free Soundcloud account here: ​www.soundcloud.com

Remember: Once you have your link, put it in your Press Release.

STEP 14:​ APPLY TO GET ON SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS​:

Around 5 days or so before the release date, you’ll want to start sending your Soundcloud link
and Press Release to relevant Spotify playlist curators. First of all, only submit to playlists that
are into your genre of music, be sure to include your Soundcloud link as a DOWNLOADABLE
option for them, be clear on the release date, and keep communication easy breezy. Chase
them up a couple of days after release date to tell them that the track is now out.

Some playlists though, need your release to actually be live on Spotify before you can
submit it to playlists. ​If this is the case then you will need to send them the direct link to your
release on Spotify on release date (and no later!) You should get all of this information from the
website of the playlist curator you’re trying to contact.
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How do you get on Spotify Playlists?​ This is a whole other subject area, which is why I have
already written a free guide on how you get on Spotify playlists which you can download by
clicking ​HERE

STEP 15:​ APPLY TO GET REVIEWED/FEATURED ON MUSIC BLOGS:

Again, around 5 days before the release date, start sending your track to Music Blogs. Music
blogs are extremely powerful and are often considered to be ‘tastemakers’. So if you manage to
bag a review and/or feature in a popular blog, it could hurl your music career into the
stratosphere. Of course, it’s worth mentioning that getting featured on these blogs isn’t easy and
the amount of submissions they receive is in the thousands. However, being professional,
courteous and prepared is something that will give you an edge.

You can apply to blogs directly via companies like ​Submit Hub​. Or you can do your own
independent research (which you should start well before you choose a release date). You can
also find around 50 popular music blogs in my ‘Spotify Curator and Blog Database’ which is
available for purchase at £2.00 from this link:
https://aubrey-whitfield.myshopify.com/products/spotify-curator-and-blog-database-by-aubrey-w
hitfield

STEP 16:​ CONTACT YOUR LOCAL PRESS

The local press love a good music success story. If you come from or live in a small town then
even better! You might think a local newspaper might not have much of an impact, but the
readership can be in its hundreds of thousands.

So find out the names of your local newspaper(s), and email them your Press Release and a
link to download the track via Soundcloud. Ask them for any kind of feature, interview or review.
Chase them up after a few days if they haven’t responded.

**Important Note: ​I haven’t included a step on getting on regional, national or international

radio because it’s incredibly difficult and often a worthless task. The big, national radio stations
won’t play anything that isn’t already causing a buzz on regional radio and getting on regional
radio often comes down to relationships with good radio pluggers and PR companies. You could
hire a Regional Radio Plugger but it could cost you a couple of thousand $$$$ and more often
than not one station might play your song once. It’s not worth the investment at this stage of
your career. Instead, my advice is for you to focus on Spotify playlist placement and blog
reviews. If you manage to crack these then you’ll find your way onto the radio waves much
easier!
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STEP 17:​ LAUNCH A SPOTIFY ‘PRE-SAVE’ CONTEST

What you really need people is for fans to pre-save or pre-order your single before it’s released.
This is how you can jump up the charts on release day as all the pre-orders get registered and
the sales see a spike, meaning you race up the charts and then get listed on better Spotify
playlists such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar.

A good way of getting people to pre-save your track on Spotify, or to pre-order it on Itunes, is to
offer them a reward - which is mostly in the shape of a prize. So you could announce that you
will select a winner at random​ a week after the release date​ (so they have to have pre-saved
the track, or pre-ordered it to qualify) and you should be able to see this information from your
distributor and/or the person’s social media posts. Suggested prizes could include an itunes
voucher, a T-shirt, cash, a Ticketmaster voucher, or be creative! It’s a great incentive to get your
pre-saves up.
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5/ L A S T M I N U T E C H E C K P H A S E

WHEN: ONE DAY before the release date

This is the safety check stage, where you want to check that you have everything in
order ready for the release date tomorrow. These are some of the things you should be
checking:

● Have you scheduled your lyric video for release at midnight?

● Have you scheduled your social media posts to announce that the song
is out?

● Have you updated your bio to include the smartlink so everyone can click
and stream the release easily?

● Have you made a list of the 2nd wave of Spotify and blog curators you
need to contact when the Spotify release goes live?

● Have you scheduled a Soundcloud ‘public’ post ready for midnight?

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6/ G E T P R O M O T I N G P H A S E

WHEN: ON RELEASE DAY

STEP 18: ​APPLY TO THE SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS THAT REQUIRED A SPOTIFY LINK

As mentioned previously, some Spotify playlist curators and blogs, will want your live
track on Spotify before considering it for playlisting. Now, a lot of these curators and
blogs are not interested in songs that are over 7 days old. So time is of the essence
here! On release date you should be prioritising applying to these types of playlists and
blogs so make sure you do this on the morning of your release. Prioritise this!

STEP 19: ​ENSURE YOUR SMARTLINK IS SHARED LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTRE

First of all, be sure to go to the Smarlink site and refresh the link so it captures all of the
online stores that now have your song. Now you’ve got your smarklink ready you will
want to wave it all over the place to generate those streams! It should already be
updated in your bio on Instagram, and posted on other social media platforms. Make
sure your website is updated with the link and do a mail out via your mailing list to let
everyone know that the song is out and here is the smartlink to stream it on the platform
of your choosing! Also remember to include the smartlink in anything you have
uploaded such as a YouTube video, or your Soundcloud links. Talking of
Soundcloud…..

STEP 20:​ SHARE YOUR RELEASE PUBLICLY ON SOUNDCLOUD

I know, you’ve already uploaded the track to Soundcloud but that is a private upload that the
public can’t see. You don’t want to change that at the moment because downloads are enabled
and you don’t want everyone downloading the track for free! And you still need this private link
for the media, playlists and blogs you’ve contacted.

So instead, you need to do another upload of your song, make sure it’s set to ‘public’ and
definitely make sure that the downloads are NOT enabled. In the track description box,
remember to say a little bit about the track, say it’s OUT NOW and then include the smarklink in
the track description and in the ‘buy now’ link.
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STEP 21:​ POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS TO ANNOUNCE RELEASE DATE

You should have already planned for this using your social media scheduling app, but
make sure that you announce on social media that your release is now out, and include
a 1 minute snippet (usually of the chorus) to entice people to stream a little more. A lot
of people usually announce this just after midnight in their country of origin, but my
advice is to log into your instagram ‘insights’ and see when the most effective time is for
you to post based on your demographics. Be smart about these things and make use of
this kind of helpful data that’s at your disposal….and for free!
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7/ K E E P T H E M O M E N T U M G O I N G

WHEN: 2-7 days after release date

STEP 22​: FOLLOW-UP WITH THE BLOGS, CURATORS AND MEDIA YOU’VE
CONTACTED

Give it a week before chasing these folk. They get tonnes of artists vying for their attention. That
said, giving them a gentle nudge is often welcome. Just don’t go mad and message them
everyday! Try sending them a short message a day or two after the release date and remind
them that the track has now been released and whether they had any feedback on the track.

STEP 23: ​KEEP POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Once the song has been released, now is your opportunity to post about the reaction to
the release. Ask your fans for some quotes about their favourite track from the EP, or
their favourite line from the song, and package this up into a social media post. Also
post any reviews you get, any interviews, and also post about the number of streams
you are getting. If you log into your Spotify for Artists account you should get a bucket
load of useful data about where your release is being streamed and what playlists it is
being added to - use this data and share it! All of this will keep the interest alive in your
release. You don’t want to arrive at the release date and then forget about promoting
the release (as a lot of artists do!) ​You should keep going for the next couple of
weeks to ensure the streams keep momentum.

STEP 24: ​ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE PRE-SAVE CONTEST

I would suggest that you announce the winner of the pre-save contest about a week after the
release date to avoid people unliking the track before the week is out!

STEP 25: ​GET A REMIX DONE

Many artists make the mistake of releasing remixes at the same time as their single release.
You could argue that the remixes will increase the ‘buzz’ around the original single release but
this often isn’t the case and can pull attention away from the original release. What you should
be doing is focussing just on the original release and then ​following up with a remix about 2-3
 20

weeks after the release.​ This could reignite interest in the song just when it’s about to die out.
So give some distance between the remix and the official release to maximise sales and to keep
you relevant and in the spotlight.

Where can you get a remix done?​ You will need a producer to do this for you and you will
need the vocal stems of your song from the original producer. You can find decent remixers via
the likes of ​www.soundbetter.com​ and ​www.airgigs.com

FINAL WORD

I hope you have found this strategy a useful tool for increasing the success of your releases.
This is by no means a strict strategy so feel free to throw in your own ideas and make your
releases even more successful!

It’s not easy building a fanbase, just like with any business it will take time. But releasing regular
music every 6-8 weeks is the key. As soon as you finish this strategy for your release, you
should start planning the next one. Regularity is so important!

Best of luck with your new releases! Now turn to your Worksheet to ensure you have ticked off
what needs to be done!
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ANNEX 1

SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULING PLAN

As mentioned in this strategy, you should be scheduling your social media posts in advance and
a week before your release date, you should make the announcement that you are releasing
something new. This guide scheduling plan suggests what to post after that and when. This is
just a guide, there is no right or wrong. You can use apps such as Apphi, Hootsuite and Buffer
to schedule these posts in advance and across multiple social media platforms.

1. 1st Post: announcement of the single one week before release date
Post a 15 second video with a preview of a verse (can include cover artwork or artist photo).

2. 2nd post: Second preview of the single (chorus) 5 days before release date
Post a 15 second video with a preview of the chorus

3. 3rd post: Post another preview of the single with the pre-save links/Smartlink when
available
Create another 15 second video with the pre-save link now available in your Instagram bio. Also
announce that you will be randomly selecting a winner, who must pre-save your release, and
that winner will receive a prize (could be a t-shirt, iTunes voucher, signed poster). I would
personally choose something that someone would want – like £100 cash, T-shirts, tickets to an
event etc. The pre-save contest winner should be chosen one week after the release date to
ensure they remain pre-saved during the first week of release.

4. 4th post: The official lyric video: Day before release or on release day
Post a 1 minute edit for Instagram and Facebook of the lyric video. Add a link to YouTube where
they can view the full video.

5. 5th post: Interview with the artist about the story behind the song (1-2 days after the
release)
Post an Interview with you about the story behind the song and how the song was
written and produced. This could be 1 min in length for Instagram and facebook.
Also upload to YouTube as well.

6. 6th post onwards: post every couple of days with updates on how the release is going,
such as stream numbers, playlist additions, fan quotes, media quotes etc
 22

ANNEX 2

GETTING IN THE CHARTS

As I am from the UK, I can only really comment on the processes for getting in the Official UK
Chart. Although, I’d imagine that there will be very similar rules for the US Billboard Top 100 etc.

To be able to get into the UK Official Charts you will need:

- A CATALOGUE NUMBER​: A catalogue number for your release (as detailed in Step 4 of
the strategy.

- an International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) ​(as detailed in Step 4 of the strategy)

-​ A Digital Distributor​ that is classed as ‘charts reporting retailer’ – most digital distributors
will do this as standard anyway

How many streams do you need to get into the UK charts?

This will vary depending on the competition during that week and how many songs they are
selling in comparison to you, however, as a general guide these are the average sales:

To reach the Top 100 = 2000 sales

To reach the Top 40 = 8000 sales
To reach No.1 = 100,000 sales

At first blush this doesn’t sound too impossible does it? But, it’s worth noting the following:

100 streams on Spotify/Youtube/Apple etc = 1 sale of your song

So in reality that means you will need the following number of streams IN ONE WEEK to
reach the following Chart positions:

To reach the Top 100 = 200,000 streams

To reach the Top 40 = 800,000 streams
To reach No.1 = 1m streams

Remember that these are weekly sales and not over the course of a month or year. You
 23

would need to generate the same amount of sales ​each week​ to retain your chart position.
RELEASE WORKSHEET

Release Information:

Name of Release: _______________________________________________

Song Duration: _________________________________________________

Artist: _________________________________________________________

Songwriter(s): __________________________________________________

Producer(s): ___________________________________________________

Release Date: __________________________________________________

Have you created a Spotify for Artists account? Y/N

STAGE 1: PREPARATION AND PLANNING STAGE

Please tick right hand box when task completed

1. Commission artwork design

2. Commission lyric video

3. Plan a mini tour and/or launch gig

STAGE 2: DISTRIBUTION STAGE

Please tick right hand box when task completed

4. Upload release to Digital Distributor

5. SONGWRITERS: Register release with royalty collection society

(PRS, ASCAP, BMI)

6. COPYRIGHT HOLDERS: Register release with royalty collection

society (PPL, Sound Exchange)
 24

7. Complete Press Release

8. Set-up a mailing list

STAGE 3: PREPARING LINKS

Please tick right hand box when task completed

9. Make note of Spotify Pre-Save link (when live)

10. Create a Smartlink

11. Schedule social media posts

12. Update website

STAGE 4: CREATING A HYPE

Please tick right hand box when task completed

13. Upload release to Soundcloud as a ‘private’ track

14. Apply to Spotify playlist curators (first wave)

15. Apply to Music Blogs (first wave)

16. Contact local press

17. Launch a pre-save contest

STAGE 5: LAST MINUTE CHECKS

Please tick right hand box when task completed

Schedule lyric video for release on YouTube from midnight of release date

Double check Social Media posts are ready to go on release date

Ensure Instagram Bio updated with Smartlink

Made note of remaining Spotify curators and blogs to contact on release

day
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Scheduled release on Soundcloud for ‘public’ use from midnight of release

date

STAGE 6: RELEASE DAY: GET PROMOTING

Please tick right hand box when task completed

18. Apply to Spotify playlist curators (in the morning, Wave 2)

19. Share smartlink on social media posts and stories

20. Ensure Soundcloud link gone public on Soundcloud

STAGE 7: KEEP MOMENTUM GOING

Please tick right hand box when task completed

21. Follow-up emails to playlist curators and music blogs

22. Share data, fan quotes, reactions on social media

23. Announce winner of pre-save contest

24. Commission official remix of the release

Useful Notes area:

(use this section to write down your scribbles, notes and useful info that might help you
throughout the stages)
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SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE

 
 
[INSERT IMAGE HERE OF ARTIST AND/OR ARTWORK OF RELEASE] 
  
[INSERT YOUR HEADLINING GRABBING
INTRO HERE]
[INSERT A LITTLE HERE ABOUT THE ARTIST AND THE
RELEASE IN A FEW SENTENCES]

[INSERT MORE HERE ABOUT THE SONG, WHO PRODUCED IT, WHEN IT'S
GETTING RELEASED, AND WHAT IT’S ABOUT]

[Now write a few paragraphs here about you as an artist. What has been your most recent
successes? What are you most proud of? Any press quotes? What previous releases have you
had out? Keep it short and concise but informative]

You can download the release from this link: [insert your Soundcloud link here]

CONTACT INFORMATION:

● Contact email : ​[insert email address]

● Contact Tel: ​[insert contact telephone including international dialing code]

● Website: ​[insert website address]

Follow [artist name] on social media:​

• Instagram:
• Spotify Follow:
• Facebook Artist Page:
 27

• Twitter:
• TikTok:

----- end of strategy ---