We know it can be tempting to choose the earliest possible release date and get your music out there as soon as possible, but there are many advantages to choosing a release date several weeks away! We recommend a minimum of 21 days to ensure you can make the biggest splash on release day. Check out some of these activities you should be doing, and understand how much time you'll need to do them!
(PLEASE NOTE: During November and December, it takes longer to get your releases live due to the volume of submissions streaming platforms receive at this time of year. During this period, we recommend adding an additional 14 days to the recommended lead times below to make sure you can get everything done in time.
Just Get It Distributed: Submit 14+ days before Release date:
The absolute minimum lead time we need to distribute your release is 14 days, but we strongly recommend against doing this. Not only do you miss out on a number of promotional activities to get new and existing fans to listen, but you also risk your release not going live on your chosen day, for example if we spot a mistake in your release that needs correcting.
Safer Date but Limited Promo: Submit 21+ days before Release date:
If you want to make sure your release goes out to all platforms at the same time you should add a few extra days to give us time to spot any required changes to your audio file, artwork or metadata, and time for you to implement them!
Certain streaming platforms have very strict rules about what they accept, and we simply cannot get your releases onto them if you don't make the necessary changes. With this in mind, you should pick a release date at least 21 days from now. This allows:
4 days for our distro team to carry out our internal checks (for example if you submit on a Friday night and your release is not checked until Monday afternoon)
4 days for you to make any required changes
4 days for us to check it again
9 days for the streaming platforms to carry out their own checks and put it live.
Spotify Editorial Playlists (if you're already on Spotify for Artists): Submit 28+ days before Release date
If you already have music on Spotify, we strongly, strongly (strongly) recommend claiming your Spotify for Artists account. Once your release has been delivered to Spotify, you should be able to submit your release directly to Spotify's editorial playlists, which could put your music in front of thousands of potential new fans. You will need your release to have been delivered to Spotify at least 1 week before it goes live. You can find out more here.
Spotify Editorial Playlists (if you're NOT already on Spotify for Artists): Submit 30+ days before Release date
Your Spotify artist profile is generated as soon as your music is delivered to Spotify (i.e. before the actual release date). This means it's possible to claim your Spotify for Artists profile before your first release goes live. Once your release is approved, you'll need to ask us for your URI code. This request can take a couple of extra days, so we recommend submitting at least 28 days before your release date.
Please note that if you do already have music on Spotify, but have not claimed your Spotify for Artists account, you don't need to ask us for your URI. You can get this straight from the Spotify desktop app!
If you don't have the desktop app, it's fairly easy to reverse engineer your URI from your artist link:
Artist Link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Z1RXhBBhcyVcry5HAcVRg
Artist URI: spotify:artist:3Z1RXhBBhcyVcry5HAcVRg
Presaves: 28+ days before Release date
You can also do Spotify and Apple Pre-Save campaigns. These let your fans save your releases to their libraries and playlists before they come out! Set these up from the HypeLinks page.
Once your music goes live, the pre-save link will automatically turn into a set of streaming links to all the stores/streaming sites your music is available on.
So there you have it! If you want to take every opportunity to boost your streaming numbers, give yourself a minimum of 28 days!