How to plan a music release: a week-by-week timeline

Independent releases usually fail on timing rather than on music. The master arrives too late for playlist consideration, the artwork is being finished the night before, and the promo starts on release day when the algorithm has already decided. This timeline fixes the order of operations. Adjust the distances to your own scale - the sequence matters more than the exact number of weeks.

Eight weeks out: lock the track and the date

• Decide the track is finished. Arrangement, sound design and any features are done - from here it's mixing, not writing.
• Pick the release date. A Friday, and ideally not the same week as a huge release in your genre.
• Decide the route: self-release through a distributor, or submit to a label. Label timelines add two to four months, so decide now, not later.

Six weeks out: mixdown and mastering

• Sign off the mixdown. Reference it on headphones, monitors, a phone and in the car.
• Send to mastering, or master it yourself with at least 48 hours between finishing and final approval.
• Brief the artwork if someone else is making it. Cover art needs to be at least 3000x3000px.

Four weeks out: distribution deadline

This is the hard one. Most distributors want the finished master three to four weeks before release to be eligible for editorial playlist consideration. Miss it and the release still comes out - it just comes out with no pitch behind it.

• Upload the master, artwork and metadata to your distributor.
• Get the credits right: artist name spelling, featured artists, writers, producers, ISRC.
• Submit your Spotify for Artists pitch - it needs to happen before release, not after.
• Set up the pre-save or smart link.

Three weeks out: build the promo assets

Batch this. One session, everything filmed and written at once, so the campaign weeks are only about posting.

• Four to six short video clips: a studio moment, a breakdown of one sound, the drop, a behind-the-scenes shot.
• A visualiser or looping clip for the audio.
• Press shot, short bio and a one-paragraph description of the track.
• Announcement post copy, written now while you're not rushed.

Two weeks out: announce and send promos

• Announcement post with the pre-save link.
• Send private promos to DJs, radio shows and blogs who actually play your genre - a targeted list of 20 beats a blast of 300.
• Line up any premiere or feature. Blogs and channels usually need two weeks' notice.
• Pitch to user-curated playlists in your genre.

Release week

• Post daily, using the clips you already filmed.
• Release day: link in bio, stories, every platform, and a personal message to anyone who's supported you before.
• Thank and repost everyone who shares it - this is most of what drives day-one traction.
• Add the track to your own playlists and update your artist profiles.

Two to four weeks after

The part almost everyone skips, and the part that compounds. Log which DJs played it, which playlists added it, and which promo actually moved numbers. That list is your starting point for the next release instead of starting cold again.

• Follow up on demo submissions that haven't replied.
• Record DJ support and playlist adds.
• Note what worked, and set the date for the next release.

Turning this into a calendar

The template is only useful once every line above is a dated task sitting on a real day. The Organised Producer generates that rollout for you from a release date - pre-release, release day and post-release tasks spread across days you're actually free, so promo week doesn't collide with a gig weekend.