How far in advance should I plan a music release?

Plan 10–16 weeks ahead for a single and 4–6 months for an EP or album. The hard constraint is distribution: deliver to your distributor at least 3–4 weeks before release day so you keep pre-save time and Spotify editorial eligibility.

How long before release should I pitch to Spotify?

Spotify requires a pitch at least 7 days before release day, but 3–4 weeks gives editors time to actually consider it. You can only pitch unreleased music, and one track per release.

Does an EP or album need a different checklist than a single?

The phases are identical, but the workload multiplies. Every track needs its own credits, splits, ISRC, and assets, and the promotion window is usually longer because you're sequencing multiple focus tracks.

What is the step independent artists most often skip?

Protecting ownership — written splits, PRO registration, and publishing administration. It costs nothing to do before release and becomes difficult and expensive to fix once the release earns money.

Guide

How to release music

To release music well is not one job — it's nine, and most of them have a deadline you can't see until you've missed it. This is the full music release checklist, in order, from finished master through independent music distribution to release week, with the timing independent artists actually need for a single, EP, or album.

Run this checklist in Diamond Release Jump to the checklist Date it with the free timeline planner

01Why

Before anything is scheduled

Decide what this release is for. Every later decision — budget, timing, promotion — gets easier once the reason is written down.

Write one sentence describing what this release is meant to do
Name the specific listener you're making it for
Define what a successful release looks like for you (not for someone else)
Decide what you are willing to spend in money, time, and attention
Note anything you learned from your last release that should change this one

02Plan

10–16 weeks before release day

Lock the shape of the release. Release type and date determine every deadline behind them.

Choose the release type: single, EP, or album
Set the release date (a Friday is the industry norm for chart weeks)
Work backwards to set your distribution deadline — 3–4 weeks minimum before release
Confirm the track list and running order
List the people involved and what each one owes you
Set the budget for mixing, mastering, artwork, video, and ads

03Create

8–14 weeks before

Finish the music and everything that travels with it.

Final mixes approved for every track
Masters delivered in the required format (16-bit/44.1kHz WAV minimum)
Cover art at 3000×3000px, RGB, no unlicensed images or logos
Canvas or looping visual for streaming profiles
Short-form video clips — plan several per track, not one per release
Lyric videos or visualizers if the release calls for them
Press photos and a current artist bio

04Protect

6–12 weeks before

Ownership is easier to settle before the release earns anything. This is the step most independent artists skip and later regret.

Agree and document songwriting splits in writing, signed by everyone
Confirm producer, feature, and session player credits
Register compositions with your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, PRS, etc.)
Register with a publishing administrator to collect mechanical royalties
Confirm ISRC codes for each track and a UPC for the release
Clear every sample, interpolation, and cover licence
Keep the stems, session files, and masters backed up in two places

05Deliver

3–5 weeks before

Delivery is a deadline, not a task. Late delivery costs you playlist consideration and pre-save time.

Upload audio and artwork to your distributor
Enter metadata exactly as it should appear: artist name, title, features, version tags
Set the release date and any territory restrictions
Add lyrics for streaming platforms
Mark explicit content accurately
Claim and update your Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists profiles
Verify the release appears in your distributor dashboard as accepted, not pending

06Promote

1–4 weeks before

Sequenced promotion beats a burst of activity on release day.

Pitch to Spotify editorial at least 7 days before release — 4 weeks is better
Set up the pre-save or pre-add campaign and a single smart link
Build a content calendar for the two weeks before and after release
Email your list — announce, then remind, then release
Contact playlist curators, blogs, and local press with a short, specific pitch
Prepare release-day assets in advance: posts, stories, captions, links
Decide whether you're running ads and to what audience

07Release

Release day

The work is already done. Today is delivery and presence.

Confirm the release is live on every major platform
Check that credits, artwork, and lyrics display correctly
Post the announcement across every channel with the correct link
Update bio links, pinned posts, and profile headers
Be available to reply for the first few hours — early engagement matters
Thank the people who helped make it

08Review

2–4 weeks after

Read what actually happened before the memory of it softens.

Record streams, saves, and playlist adds at 7, 14, and 28 days
Note the save rate — it predicts algorithmic support better than raw streams
Identify which content, platform, and pitch drove the most listeners
Write down what went wrong and how early it could have been caught
Compare the result against the definition of success you set in phase 01

09Next

Ongoing

One release should make the next one cheaper and calmer.

Archive decisions, contacts, and assets where you'll find them again
Turn each mistake into a step in your own checklist
Keep momentum: decide the next release before the current one goes quiet
Re-pitch strong tracks to playlists in later cycles

How to release music: common questions

How far in advance should I plan a music release?: Plan 10–16 weeks ahead for a single and 4–6 months for an EP or album. The hard constraint is distribution: deliver to your distributor at least 3–4 weeks before release day so you keep pre-save time and Spotify editorial eligibility.
How long before release should I pitch to Spotify?: Spotify requires a pitch at least 7 days before release day, but 3–4 weeks gives editors time to actually consider it. You can only pitch unreleased music, and one track per release.
Does an EP or album need a different checklist than a single?: The phases are identical, but the workload multiplies. Every track needs its own credits, splits, ISRC, and assets, and the promotion window is usually longer because you're sequencing multiple focus tracks.
What is the step independent artists most often skip?: Protecting ownership — written splits, PRO registration, and publishing administration. It costs nothing to do before release and becomes difficult and expensive to fix once the release earns money.

Stop keeping this in your head

Diamond Release turns this checklist into a dated plan for your release, so you always know the next step instead of the whole mountain.

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