Free tool
Music release planner
Pick your release date and get a week-by-week timeline for your single, EP or album, from final master to the month after release. No signup. Add it to your calendar in one click.
Pick a date to turn this 8-week plan into a dated checklist.
Get the release ready
8 weeks before
Lock the final master
Approve the final mix and master, and export the file formats your distributor asks for. Changes after this point push everything else back.
8 weeks before
Agree splits and credits in writing
Confirm songwriting and master splits with every collaborator and write them down in a split sheet. Collect correct spellings for credits now, not on upload day.
7 weeks before
Finish artwork and press photos
Final cover art at the size your distributor requires, plus a small set of press photos in landscape, portrait and square crops.
7 weeks before
Write your bio and one-line pitch
A short bio, a longer bio, and one sentence that says what this release is and who it is for. You will reuse these in every pitch.
Deliver and set up
6 weeks before
Upload to your distributor and set the date
Upload audio, artwork, credits and lyrics, then schedule the release date. Delivering weeks ahead is what makes pre-saves and editorial pitching possible.
6 weeks before
Register the songs for royalties
Register the works with your performing rights organisation and any publishing administrator you use, so performance and mechanical royalties can find you.
5 weeks before
Claim and refresh your artist profiles
Make sure you have access to Spotify for Artists, Apple Music for Artists and your other artist dashboards. Update photos, bio and links.
5 weeks before
Set up a pre-save and one smart link
Create a pre-save page and a single link that points to every store. Use that one link everywhere so you are never updating ten bios.
Pitch and announce
4 weeks before
Pitch to playlist editors
Submit an unreleased song through Spotify for Artists as soon as the delivered release appears there. Spotify asks for at least a week before release; several weeks gives you a better chance.
4 weeks before
Announce the release
Share the date, the artwork and the pre-save link. Tell your email list first. They are the people most likely to act on day one.
3 weeks before
Reach out to press, blogs and curators
Send short, personal pitches with a private streaming link, your one-line pitch and your press kit. Follow up once, politely.
3 weeks before
Plan and batch your content
Film and edit a batch of short videos in one or two sessions: teasers, the story behind the song, lyric clips, studio footage. Schedule what you can.
Countdown
2 weeks before
Start the teaser run
Post short clips of the strongest hook several times a week. Repeat the pre-save link in every post and keep the message simple.
1 week before
Check everything is live and correct
Confirm the release is delivered to stores with the right date, artwork, credits and lyrics. Fix problems now while there is still time.
1 week before
Schedule release-day posts and the email
Write the release-day email and posts in advance so the day itself is for talking to people, not writing captions.
1 day before
Final reminder
One last pre-save push, and a personal message to the friends, collaborators and fans who always show up.
Release day
Release day
Go live everywhere
Swap the pre-save for the live smart link, update every bio, send the email and post. Thank your collaborators by name and tag them.
Release day
Be present
Reply to comments and messages and share what people post. The first day of engagement is the easiest attention you will get.
Keep it moving
3 days after
Pitch independent playlists and share wins
Pitch user-curated playlists now that the song is live, and share any playlist adds, press or radio plays as they land.
1 week after
Release a second wave of content
An acoustic or live version, a lyric breakdown, behind-the-scenes footage. Most listeners have not heard the song yet; keep introducing it.
2 weeks after
Review the first two weeks
Look at saves, playlist adds and where listeners came from. Note which posts and pitches actually moved numbers.
4 weeks after
Wrap up and plan the next release
Write down what worked, what did not, and what you would start earlier. Then put a date on the next release while the momentum is there.
Why a release needs a runway
Most releases that underperform were not bad songs. They were uploaded a few days before release day, which quietly removes the things that help a song travel: there is no time for a pre-save, no window to pitch playlist editors, no room for press to listen, and no content ready when the song goes live.
A plan fixes that by working backwards from the date. Delivery to your distributor comes first because everything else depends on it. Pitching and announcing come next, while there is still time for people to respond. The last two weeks are for reminding the audience you already have, and the month after is for introducing the song to everyone who missed it on day one.
For the reasoning behind each step, read the release planning checklist and our guide to music marketing.
From a checklist to a system
A timeline tells you what to do. The work is still yours: the artwork, the pitch, the posts, the follow-ups. SongPilot is the all-in-one artist management platform we are building to carry that load, with release planning, campaigns, a media studio and AI specialists that know your catalog. It is not open yet. If this planner was useful, the waitlist below is how you get early access. See what it does.
Release planning questions
How far ahead should I plan a music release?
Around eight weeks works for a single, ten for an EP and twelve for an album. The long pole is delivery: getting the release to your distributor weeks ahead is what makes pre-saves and editorial playlist pitching possible. You can release faster, but you give up those options.
What if my release date is only a few weeks away?
Enter the date anyway. The planner marks the steps that are already behind you as "catch up" so you can do the important ones first: deliver to your distributor, set up one smart link, and pitch as early as you still can. If the list of catch-up steps is long, moving the date is usually the better call.
When should I pitch my song to Spotify playlist editors?
As soon as the delivered, unreleased song shows up in Spotify for Artists. Spotify asks for at least a week before release day, and pitching several weeks ahead gives editors more time to hear it. That is why the plan has you upload to your distributor well before the pitch step.
Is the release planner free? Do I need an account?
It is free and there is no account or email required. Your date never leaves your browser. You can copy the plan as a checklist or download it as a calendar file that works with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook.
How is an album plan different from a single?
The foundation work starts about four weeks earlier, and the plan adds lead singles before release day. Singles give you something to pitch and post about while the album is still weeks away, and each one builds the audience for the next.
Ready to run your career like a team?
Join the waitlist for the all-in-one artist management platform for independents, managers, and labels. No spam.
No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.