What Is a Release Date?
The specific day (and often time) you choose for your music to go live on streaming platforms and stores, set in advance through your distributor.
Why this matters
What is it?
A release date is the specific day you choose for your music to become publicly available on DSPs (digital service providers) like Spotify and Apple Music. You set this date when submitting your release to your distributor, and it's typically required to be at least a few days to a couple weeks in the future, since platforms need processing time before the release can go live.
In industry conversations, this is sometimes also called a 'street date,' a term carried over from the era of physical CD releases, referring to the day a product officially becomes available to the public. Most DSPs release new music at a standard time, often midnight local time in New Zealand, which effectively becomes early morning or the previous day in other time zones, meaning your release can technically 'drop' earlier than you might expect depending on where a listener is located.
Picking a release date isn't just about logistics; it's also a strategic choice. Fridays have become the industry-standard global release day for new music, largely because major DSPs align their new release playlists and charts around that day.
A simple example
Why you should care
When you'll use it
Common mistakes
- Choosing a release date too close to submission, leaving no buffer time for playlist pitching or fixing metadata errors.
- Not accounting for time zone differences, then being confused when the song appears 'early' for some listeners.
- Changing the release date after already pitching playlists or building pre-save momentum, which can undo weeks of promotional work.
Lock in your release date at least 4-6 weeks before you plan to release, giving yourself enough runway for playlist pitching, pre-save campaigns, and press outreach.
Keep reading
A unique numeric code assigned to an entire release (single, EP, or album) that identifies it across stores and streaming platforms, similar to a barcode on a physical product.
A unique identifier assigned to a specific recording of a song, used to track plays, streams, and royalties for that exact version, distinct from the song's UPC.
The set of text information attached to your release, like song title, artist name, genre, and release date, that DSPs use to display and organize your music correctly.
A promotional tool that lets fans save an upcoming release to their streaming library or playlist before it's even out, so it appears automatically on release day.
A running list of every task that needs to happen before a song can go live, used to make sure nothing gets missed.
The recurring payments you earn every time your song gets streamed, sold, played on the radio, or used somewhere else.
The royalty paid to songwriters whenever their composition is reproduced, including every stream and download.
The royalty paid to songwriters when their composition is performed publicly, including radio, live shows, and some streaming plays.
The business of owning, registering, and collecting income from the songwriting side of your music, separate from the recording.
A simple written document that records who wrote what percentage of a song, signed before disputes can happen.
The organizations, like ASCAP and BMI, that collect performance royalties on behalf of songwriters and pay them out.
The company that takes your finished song and delivers it to Spotify, Apple Music, and every other store or streaming service.
DSP stands for Digital Service Provider, the industry term for streaming platforms and download stores like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
A widely used digital distributor known for its subscription-based pricing and fast turnaround from upload to release across DSPs.
One of the earliest and longest-running digital music distributors, offering artists a one-time payment model with no subscription required.
A long-established digital distributor offering distribution, publishing administration, and other artist services, historically priced per release.
The full schedule of everything that needs to happen between now and release day, and after it, laid out with dates.
Playlist pitching is the process of submitting your song to curators, whether that is Spotify itself or independent playlist owners, hoping to get added.
Editorial playlists are playlists curated by a streaming platform's own staff, like Spotify's 'New Music Friday,' rather than by an individual listener.
An EPK is a one-page digital packet with your bio, photos, music links, and contact info, built so anyone from a journalist to a booker can learn about you fast.
How and roughly how much artists actually get paid for streams, and why the amount per stream varies so much between platforms.
The number of unique people who played at least one of your songs on Spotify in the last 28 days, shown on your artist profile.
The final audio polish applied to a finished mix, making it loud, consistent, and ready for release across all platforms.
The square image that represents your song or album everywhere it's sold or streamed.
Put this into a real release plan
Diamond Release turns terms like this into dated steps for your single, EP, or album — with the full 160-article Encyclopedia inside.