Artist Release Checklist

So, you’re just about to release your song. Good on you! Here’s a few handy tips we’ve put together. You don’t have to follow this list line by line and you might have a completely different timeline in mind. Remember, MANY artists do things differently and in a different order (you do you!) but it’s a handy checklist of things you could do that will help make it really POP!

SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS OUT

  • ASSETS ASSETS ASSETS. As well as your mixed and mastered song, make sure you have all your assets ready to go and a timeline mapped out. This includes:
  • A new press image. This will be your ‘hero’ image for the single campaign and posted across all your social media platforms, included on your bio and in your press release.
  • Single/ EP/ album artwork. We can help with this if you’re stuck for a designer - let us know at bdmp@distrosupport.freshdesk.com
  • Create a shareable online drive on Dropbox or Google Drive. Put your bio, press image, lyrics, WAV and MP3 files in there.
  • Upload and create ‘private’ Soundcloud link for your track to share with selected people before it’s released
  • Create and format an updated bio for your project.
  • Create any additional social media material e.g. cover images for the different platforms you use / event page headers if you're announcing a tour/ tour poster
  • Put together a list of social media content you will aim to put out over the course of your campaign. You might like to do up a schedule of when you are going to post as well.
  • An idea of the ‘message’ you want to convey about this new piece of work you have created. What are the themes? What do the lyrics mean to you that you want people to know about?
  • Create a simple website and set up a professional email newsletter online software so you can email your fans directly. We recommend using Squarespace or Music Glue or Wix for your website and Mailchimp to email fans.
  • If you’ve got a brand new project, set up your artist social media accounts. Invite your friends to your page and begin gathering followers. In our opinion, the essential accounts to have are YouTube (your channel needs to be pimped out!) Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Try to make your username and branding uniform across all platforms – that way, it will be easier to find you across multiple channels.
  • Put together a list of social media content you will aim to put out over the course of your campaign. You might like to do up a schedule of when you are going to post as well.
  • For twitter, facebook and Instagram we recommend using Hootsuite or Later.com. In as little as one hour you can schedule a week’s worth of posts.
  • If you’re already established on social media, let people know you’re working on something new.

THREE WEEKS OUT

  • By this point, you really need to have decided on a concrete release day. You will need to upload your music so it’s delivered to stores in time for release day. Allow a minimum of 10 days for this process – more if you can. We can deliver your song to online stores for you and also transfer your existing catalogue across. If you've already submitted and made a mistake, you can contact support through your artist dashboard.
  • Register your tracks with your chosen performance and mechanical rights organisation in your territory. You’ll need your ISRC code for this - it's an internationally recognised tracking code for music. You will be issued one when you upload your music to Black Dog Music Partners if you need one.
  • You can look up some potential blogs and playlists by visiting Submithub or Groover. You might want to try to lock in a premiere for your track at this time, and contact any other press contacts you have to get coverage for the song.
  • This is a really good time to pitch your track for editorial playlists via the Spotify for Artists pitching tool. If you're a new artist and you don't have a Spotify for Artist's account yet, ask your distributor for a link so you can gain access.
  • Begin reaching out to a few key blogs and radio shows to let them know your release date and ask for feedback. Send them some quick dot point info about you and your single (no more than five dot points) and your release date and link them to a private soundcloud streaming link, your bio and press image. It’s best to link them to the Google Drive or Dropbox folder you made earlier. Large attachments can get lost.
  • This is a good time to market your Spotify pre-save and share it on your channels. We'll send you one for Free!!.

ONE WEEK OUT

  • It’s almost time! Time to get your fans excited! Tease the release date with a post on your social media channels. If there’s a video, you might like to share a snippet from it. Or you might like to share a story about the track or the single/ album artwork.
  • When you see this icon, you can now request takedown/removal of your release with your previous distributor.
  • During this week you could change your profile picture to your new press image across your social media platforms..
  • Update your website and all online profiles with any recent bios and pictures. This includes Spotify, Apple Music, Facebook 'about' page, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok.
  • Tease the upcoming song through your socials each day and try to get as many presaves as possible.

DAY OF PREMIERE (OPTIONAL)

  • If you have secured a premiere for your track/ EP/ album online or on the radio, it would be ideal for it to land either the day before or only a few days out from the wider release of your track.
  • On the day of your premiere, make sure you give a shout out to the media outlet who ran it across your social media networks and say thanks.

DAY OF RELEASE

  • Your smartURL will rescan on release day and provide links to all major streaming platforms.
  • Post your track EVERYwhere you can think of. On your socials and elsewhere. If you have a database of fan emails, you might want to email them with the new song..
  • Log onto submithub and send your track out to a few blogs and playlists you think might like it.
  • Change over your facebook cover image to reflect the new release
  • Tease the upcoming song through your socials each day and try to get as many presaves as possible.
  • Register your lyrics on Genius.com - you can also apply to become a verified artist on Genius.com.
  • Plus, we recommend also registering your lyrics on Musixmatch - this is the site that pulls lyrics for instagram stories.
  • Can you think of a fun TikTok video idea for your song?

FOLLOWING RELEASE

  • Make sure you are pushing for people to engage with your Spotify profile. Especially the 'follow' button. This needs to happen the week leading up to and the week following your release.
  • Sign up for Spotify for Artists and Apple for Artists and check if you have been added to any playlists. If you have, share the good news on social media.
  • Make your new release a ‘priority track’ on Spotify. You can do this via your Spotify for Artists page and update your Spotify profile pic.
  • Keep an eye on your socials. Be sure to thank as many people as you can who engage with your track
  • Update your profile and lyrics on all the platforms that you possibly can.
  • Gather up a ‘bragging’ sheet for your project. Choose your best ‘wins’ and compile them into a document. These could be triple j Unearthed reviews, notable radio plays, media quotes, info about playlists you have been on or other notable things you’ve done. Use this as a tool for when you contact other industry professionals about your music such as booking agents, managers and publishers.

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