As an artist, releasing new music can be an exciting but daunting task. Having a release plan makes sure that your hard work pays off and that you can gain new fans and followers.
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll find a Music Release Plan Template that will guide you through the process of releasing your music.
This template is based on what I’ve personally learned releasing over 50 songs and getting over 5.9 million streams on Spotify:
P.S. If you’d like to follow along with the simple (and 100% free) 7-step checklist that I’ve used to get those results, click here to download it right now.
Download The Music Release Plan Template
The Music Release Plan Template you’ll follow is divided into three phases: pre-release, release, and post-release.
…the best part, my friend?
I’ve broken everything down into the core 7-steps that you need to follow to be able to properly release your music without wasting precious time, money, or energy:
Click here to download it right now.
Let’s take a closer look at the 3 phases of the music release plan that you will be following.
Phase 1: Pre-Release Phase
Before your music is released, there are several things that you need to prepare such as having a clearly defined goal, release timeline, and creative assets (ie: music, artwork, social posts, etc).
I’ve found that a very common goal for artists in 2023 is to grow their Spotify, so we’ll focus on that particular goal for the rest of this release plan template.
Once you have set your goals, it is important to plan your release timeline which includes deciding on release dates, mapping out your schedule of promotional content, and giving yourself enough time to plan and execute your release strategy.
With your long-term release plan in place, the next step is to make sure that you are set up with all the accounts and tools that you’ll need to properly release music.
I personally recommend trying to keep your costs low in this area and trying to minimize the number of accounts and tools that you need to set up and manage.
Check out this video I made that goes over the 5 essential accounts you need to properly release music:
Next, you need to prepare your music/audio files, album artwork, and any other creative assets such as social media posts and video ads.
To help you with this, I’ve created a completely free downloadable Template Pack that includes templates for social media posts, video ads, music links, stream trackers, and more:
Click here to download your free Spotify Growth Template Pack.
Once you have everything prepared for your release, it’s time to submit your music to your music distributor and schedule all of your promotional efforts to start running on release day now:
In my experience, I’ve found it much easier, less stressful, and more effective to schedule everything in advance so that you can sit back and enjoy release day instead of worrying that you haven’t done enough.
Schedule your music for release at least 4 to 5 weeks ahead of the release date that you have planned so you have enough time to pitch to the Spotify editors and schedule social media posts and digital ad campaigns.
Phase 2: Release Phase
If you’ve successfully completed Phase 1, then there is actually very little for you to do on launch day (nice isn’t it, my friend?). 🙂
With that said there are a few post-release tasks that I’d recommend you do:
- Monitor and measure the performance of your release in the Spotify For Artists dashboard.
- Engaging with fans and listeners in the first 28 days to build momentum, maximize your reach, and nurture your fan-to-artist relationships.
- Adjust and optimize any digital ad campaigns that you are running.
If you were hoping for a list of 269 tasks for you to complete over the course of 90 days then you have come to the wrong place and might need to rethink what it means to have a successful release.
I’ve personally found that the key to a successful release and building up your music career is to consistently release new music and if you make it way too hard for yourself you are sure to stop early and fail before any real results come in.
Phase 3: Post-Release Phase
After your release, it is important to analyze the performance and results of your release. This includes evaluating the success of your release strategy and planning adjustments for your next release as needed.
This involves monitoring engagement metrics, such as streams, downloads, and social media engagement, and gathering feedback from both fans and industry professionals.
You can pinpoint the areas that require improvement and experiment with new strategies for your upcoming releases allowing you to continually enhance your release strategy and better connect with your audience.
The main goal here is to consistently release new music while consistently trying to outdo yourself when it comes to not only your music marketing and promotion but also the quality of the music you put out.
Consistently releasing new music every 28 days can be a challenging undertaking, but it is crucial for artists looking to grow on Spotify.
Frequent releases help to maintain attention and momentum on your music, ensuring that you remain at the forefront of the minds of fans, music industry folk, Spotify editors, and even the Spotify algorithm as you progress in your career.
…What’s Next?
Having a well-structured music release plan is essential for any artist who wants to ensure the success of their music.
This Music Release Plan Template provides a guide for artists to follow throughout the pre-release, release, and post-release phases.
By following this template (and slowly customizing it to your unique needs as an artist) you can create a release plan that will help you achieve your goals and connect with your audience, my friend. 🙂
