Plan your release back from the date
By the HyperTribe team. Reviewed by Kimberly, founder. Updated .
Pick the date, then count back. That's the whole method. Most artists plan a release forward: finish the track, upload it, tell people. Then release day comes and the only person who knows is you.
Here's the countdown we'd give any artist doing this on their own, from eight weeks out to two weeks after. It fits around a job, and if you only do three things from it, we've said which three at the end.
Eight weeks out: decide the date
Choose one day and write it down. Check your distributor's delivery time before you pick, because that decides the earliest day you can use. Pick one song to lead with.
Six weeks out: finish everything you can touch
Final master, artwork, title and credits spelled the way you want them everywhere. Fix a typo now, not after it's live on every platform.
Four weeks out: deliver the music and build the list
Upload to your distributor. Start collecting email addresses or messages from the people who already care, because release day goes better when somebody is waiting for it.
Three weeks out: write your one-line story
Who you are, what the song is about, why now. One sentence. Everything you send to anyone later starts from it.
Two weeks out: pitch
If you use the streaming services' artist tools, pitch the song through them. The biggest one says that if you pitch an unreleased song at least seven days before release, it will add it to your followers' release playlist. That's the minimum, so don't leave it to the last week. Send your one-line story and the stream to the few radio shows, blogs and playlists that really fit, one at a time, with one clear ask each.
One week out: show people it's coming
Post the date and a short piece of the song. Tell the people on your list. Ask two friends to be ready to share on the day, and tell them exactly what you'd like them to say.
Release day: stay close
Post once, reply to everyone, thank people by name. Do not scatter yourself across ten platforms. One link, one message.
One week after: say thank you and follow up
Message the people who shared or played it. Note what worked and what didn't. Two lines are enough.
Two weeks after: plan the next one
The list you built is the start of the next release. Pick the next date now while the energy is still there.
Want the dates worked out for you? The free release countdown calculator takes your date and gives you every deadline above, plus a calendar file. It's free, and linked on this page.
If you only do three things
Choose the date early, pitch before the last week, and have a short list of people waiting for release day. Everything else on this page makes those three work better; those three are the release.
Where this fits
This is the calendar for the "money" stage of artist development. The UK release checklist is the admin that goes around it: who to register with, in what order, and the tax line. The first-release guide is the seven decisions before your very first one. The video sequence guide is what to post for the month after. The UK release sheet puts all of it on one printable page.
- Artist development: what it is, what it costs, and how to tell it's workingthe hub
- The UK independent release checklist (2026)
- Artist development for your first release
- YouTube Shorts for emerging artists: the release sequence that works
- How to get your first 1,000 fans (not streams)
- Bandcamp Friday: how to prepare for 4 December
- How to get your music heard as an independent artist
- Spotify pitch builderfree tool
- Press release builderfree tool
- UK music funding checkerfree tool
- Release budget templatefree tool
- Single, EP or album: which should you release next?
- How do you get honest feedback on your music?
Questions artists ask
How far ahead should I plan a music release?
Eight weeks from picking the date to release day is enough for an independent single, if the track is finished at six weeks out. Ten to twelve if it's your first release or the distributor needs longer.
When should I upload to my distributor?
Four weeks out in this plan. Check your distributor's own delivery time; most want two to four weeks, and the editorial pitch needs the track delivered first.
When should I pitch to playlists?
Two weeks out through the services' artist tools, and never later than seven days before release, which is the minimum the biggest service states for your followers' release playlist. Independent curators and radio in the same fortnight, one at a time.
What day of the week should I release?
Friday is standard: the chart week starts then and the services' new-music playlists refresh. Any Friday your distributor can hit with time to spare.
What should I post on release day?
Once. One link, one message, then spend the day replying and thanking people by name. The scatter across ten platforms is what makes release days feel empty.
What do I do the week after release?
Message everyone who shared or played it, two lines each, and write down what worked. Then pick the next date before the energy fades.
Can I use this plan for an EP or album?
Yes, with one lead single on this countdown and the rest of the record following on its own dates. Each date gets the same eight-week shape, shorter if the list is already warm.
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