How to Create an Authentic Music Release Plan Without Compromising Your Artistic Integrity
In this article, I cover how independent artists today can tackle challenges like playlist culture and the rise of streaming services to create an authentic and effective music release plan, all without compromising artistic integrity. I know it can feel overwhelming - but it’s manageable if you break it down into a linear approach. So let's dive in…
The evolution of music release in a digital age
The way artists release their music has changed drastically over the last decade. In the past, it was common to tease an album by dropping a single a few months earlier. Next would come a second single, often released simultaneously with the album. Then it might be a year or more before the artist would put out anything new.
In the days of analog format, the release cycle was driven by time. It took time to record, mix, master, then press the physical assets and print album artwork, and finally ship everything out. In today’s digital landscape, the music creation and release process moves at lightspeed. Artists make and release music as frequently as possible. Why? Part of this is a reaction to the rise of Spotify. It also works as a strategy to stay top of mind for listeners, who are bombarded with media that constantly demands their attention.
(Curious to learn more about the history of music releases? Read more here.)
The rise of playlist culture
There are pros and cons to playlist culture. On the one hand, continuously updated mixtapes help introduce new listeners to independent artists, bringing significant exposure and new opportunities such as booking performances, sparking collaborations, and establishing partnerships with brands or other artists.
Unlike traditional radio, there isn’t a barrier preventing new artists from gaining traction on major streaming platforms. Artists can use social media, email, or platforms like SubmitHub to reach out to playlist curators and pitch their song. When submitting your music, make sure to follow the submission guidelines carefully and provide all necessary information, such as your artist name, track title, genre, and any relevant links or social media profiles. It's also a good idea to include a brief but engaging description of your music and what sets it apart. Lead with the story, the characteristics, and WHY it’s a good fit for their playlist based on what you know about its previous selections. Showing that you are familiar with their playlist and why you respect their curation is an easy way to stand out among all the other artists simply copying and pasting the same generic pitches to every curator.
Playlists can reach a broader audience and reach of listeners, especially as more people rely on playlists to discover new music, rather than actively searching for it themselves. Being included in a Spotify playlist can lend credibility to an independent artist, as it's a sign of recognition and endorsement from the platform and its curators. It can lead to significant streaming royalties, which will help fund your future projects and overall career.
On the other hand, playlists are edging out albums in popularity. Singles also don’t allow musicians the same amount of creative freedom or ability to make an impact on listeners as albums do. As the average listener’s attention span shrinks, albums are becoming shorter with EPs being the popular end goal.
The waterfall strategy for music release
The waterfall strategy centers around an artist releasing a new single every 3 - 6 weeks. Each release is timed to drop when the previous single is at its peak or just starting to decline. Singles are packaged as a new release each time and included in the group for autoplay functionality, to continue rolling listeners of the most recent track right into the older ones. This continuously boosts streams while curating a "stepping stone" journey for new listeners through the most recent tracks. Finally, all of the singles are repackaged as the final EP or album when it is officially released.
The reasoning behind this strategy is to allow artists to stay relevant, build up an audience, and eventually create an album. Some of the other benefits of building your music release plan this way are:
- Broader reach: More people will discover your music and (hopefully) become fans.
- Chart growth: You can track how your audience is growing and what tracks have performed well based on streaming and data analytics. This can help you pivot and make for intentional decisions about the order of songs you release based around the goals you have in the short term.
- Works with the algorithm: You’re playing by the rules of streaming platforms, who want artists to turn out new music for their algorithmic playlists.
Some musicians start the build up a year in advance, using each release as a chance for PR, marketing, and playlist consideration. By releasing several singles over a longer time period, you take fans on a momentum-building journey that prepares them for the album. It can also help drive interest in live shows.
The waterfall strategy also works as an effective form of market research. You can gauge feedback from current audiences, with multiple opportunities to test the waters in slightly adjacent genres or stylistic spaces. For example, the acoustic ballad could open new doors in streaming that the other heavy fuzz-driven rock singles can't.
Think of each song and the rollout order you curate as checkpoints. Each one reveals a new element about your brand, whether that's sonically, lyrically, instrumentally, vocally, or even the non-musical values and themes that are important to your band overall.
The problem with this strategy is that many artists are trying to use it to their advantage right now. On average about 60,000-90,000 are added to Spotify per day. That’s where a strategic music release plan comes into play to help you cut through the noise and stand out in an oversaturated industry.
Building an effective music release plan that cuts through the noise
From marketing your release to preparing formats, the planning and music release process takes up to several months. Whether you are dropping a single, EP, or album, there are a few things you should do to make the most of your release.
The first step is to write up a music release plan or checklist, indicating the release date and schedule of activities for the release. You can break down the schedule of activities into three main time periods: pre-release, release day and post-release. For a comprehensive music release checklist, check out this example of a 90-day guide. Obviously these are just a starting point, as every single / album / project will include different opportunities and challenges.
Here’s a general timeline spanning the months leading up to your release and what you should aim to accomplish during each period.
3 Months Pre-Release
Register all copyrights and register with a PRO to collect royalties
Document as much as you can of the recording journey. Fans love behind-the-scenes clips and this makes for great social media content in the months leading up to the release.
Create your PR and marketing plans, whether you hire a team or go the DIY route.
If you’re going for visibility on playlists, make a plan for it. You’ll have to submit your music to Spotify and pitch to playlist curators.
If you haven’t already, decide on a marketing budget. Read more about that here.
Set your release date and schedule.
2 Months Pre-Release
Finalize your artwork.
Get some professional, high-quality photos of your band members.
Decide on your ideal marketing channel, wherever your target audience spends the most time, and focus your advertising efforts there. Begin to test out ads and grow your audience.
Prep your social media content calendar. This is outlined with all of the assets that you need for your release, like countdowns, cover art reveals, release party or show announcements, ticket links, and calls to action.
1 Month Pre-Release
Submit your music to your distributor
Drop the first single. This will help build hype and you can test the waters by getting reviews on music blogs or other publications. A good pace to continuously release singles leading up to an album is one every 3 months, but find what you’re comfortable with and stick to it.
Announce your music release event: live show, livestream, listening party, etc.
2 Weeks Pre-Release
Build momentum by getting existing fans excited across your social platforms.
Write and prepare any day-of assets, like your email newsletter, website, social ads, posts, and announcements.
Add the streaming links to your social media bio with a strong CTA.
Update your Spotify and social profiles with the latest artwork and band images.
Post-Release
It’s not over yet! Keep driving listeners to your album release with new content and executing an effective music promotion strategy. (For more on this, check out The Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Promoting Your Song.) If your music ends up on a playlist, or if you’ve scored an awesome write-up on a blog, be sure to share the news with a content link or playlist link to maximize your exposure. Make it as easy and enticing for the outlet or curators to repost. (Quick Tip: Don’t just hit “Share” on the article or playlist. Add value to the post by giving it more context, a personalized message, or even a Call to Action that viewers can engage with. This will help boost the visibility of the post and help everyone involved get more mileage and feedback out of the coverage.)
You’ve worked hard on this release, and people want to hear it. It’s just about getting it in front of the right audience in a creative and engaging way. It takes a little creative planning and a TON of consistency to make it happen.
Tips for maintaining artistic integrity
With the rise of streaming services and social media, musicians have more avenues than ever to share their work with a global audience. But this disruption to traditional models of music distribution and consumption challenges artistic integrity. Artists may feel pressured to compromise their artistic vision in order to gain popularity or commercial success.
The growing consensus in the industry is that songwriting and music in general suffers when music is made with the specific intention of becoming popular. Trying to fit within a particular aesthetic undermines your creative authenticity. You end up sacrificing your vision and second guessing your work. For some, this tradeoff may seem like the only way to make a living and survive.
The question is, how can you successfully create, release, market, and promote meaningful music while maintaining your artistic integrity? It’s a battle every artist will have to grapple with on a personal level, but here are some things to consider.
Stay true to your vision
Instead of trying to conform to current trends or what is popular at the moment, focus on creating music that speaks to you and your audience. You’ll only lose your passion if you aren’t making something that you love. Don’t compromise your voice or stifle your personality, because that’s what makes your work unique and allows you to stand out. Fans can sense inauthenticity, and it will only drive people away. Don’t try to compete to dethrone the biggest artist in a specific genre. Create and position yourself as the first (and thus #1) artists in a brand new music market / genre. First to market = first in people's minds.
Know your worth (beyond the music)
Know your value and what you stand for. While money matters, it’s important to maintain the human element of your music. Be clear about your values and don’t let yourself be taken advantage of, whether that’s by record labels, other bands, or people within the industry. It’s those values that will galvanize the connection your fans have with you - not just the music to release.
Control your own distribution
One way to maintain control over your music is through self-distribution through platforms like Bandcamp or by partnering with independent “label-services” style distribution companies. By retaining control over distribution, you can ensure that your work is being presented in a way that aligns with your values and artistic vision.
Connect with fans
Build up your fanbase by engaging through social media, email marketing, live streams, live performances, or other means. By establishing a strong connection with your audience, you can create a supportive community of like-minded people that support your work. Note: even the largest social media platforms can disappear over time (my band came up in the MySpace era after all!). So remember it’s never too early to establish an email collection system and nurture the offers you can provide to your audience through that channel.
Collaborate with other musicians
Collaboration and creative partnerships with artists who share your values allow you to explore new ideas and push boundaries while staying true to yourself. Having the support of other professionals and a network you can lean on helps tremendously when you’re feeling the pressure of conformity or experiencing creative blocks.
Embrace the digital landscape
The digital world isn’t going anywhere soon. While the rise of streaming services presents challenges, it also provides new opportunities for musicians to reach new audiences and experiment with new forms of expression. By being strategic about the way you release and promote your music, you can use technology to your advantage instead of constantly fighting it. Remember, sometimes the obstacle is the way.
If you found this helpful, take a second to download my FREE ARTIST STRATEGY GUIDE here. It’s filled with more thought-provoking concepts and music career growth tips designed to help you evaluate your holistic approach to building a lasting movement with your music.
p.s. If you still have questions or are looking for 1:1 guidance with an upcoming project, Schedule a call with me.