How to Plan a Music Release Step by Step
Foundational Guide
Jan 9, 2026
Planning a music release means turning a finished song into a timeline with milestones, owners, assets, and promotion tasks so the release ships on time and the marketing starts early. This guide gives you a practical step-by-step plan you can reuse for every single, EP, or album.
Why it matters now
Releases fail less because the music is bad and more because the rollout is late or disorganized:
distribution deadlines sneak up
artwork, masters, and metadata are not finalized when they need to be
content gets filmed too late to build momentum
pitching and outreach happen after the release is live
collaborators wait on approvals and everything slows down
A release plan prevents this by making the work visible, sequenced, and repeatable.
How it works in practice
A reliable release plan has five parts:
Release definition (what you’re releasing and why)
Release package (audio + artwork + metadata + links)
Timeline (milestones and dependencies)
Content and promotion plan (what you’ll publish, when, and where)
Review loop (what you learned so next time is easier)
Below is the step-by-step process.
Step 1: Define the release in one paragraph
Before tasks, define the release clearly so the plan stays coherent.
Write:
Release type: single, EP, album
Release date target (or window)
Primary goal (pick one):
reach new listeners
activate existing fans
drive pre-saves
sell tickets
grow email/SMS list
Core message: what is the story or positioning in one sentence?
If you cannot write this, you will struggle to make good content and promotional decisions.
Step 2: Choose a realistic release date
Pick a release date based on the time you actually have.
A practical rule: If you want a rollout, you need runway. Many independent releases benefit from 4 to 8 weeks of lead time for planning, content capture, pitching, and distribution setup. Shorter timelines can work, but only if the release is truly lightweight.
When picking a date, account for:
collaborator availability (video editor, designer, mixing/mastering)
personal schedule constraints (tour, travel, day job)
platform and pitching windows (playlist pitching requires lead time)
any anchor moments (live show, announcement, press feature)
Step 3: Build the release package
Your release package is the minimum set of deliverables required for distribution, pitching, and marketing.
Audio
final master (correct format for distribution)
instrumental and clean versions (optional, but often useful)
ISRC (if applicable via distributor)
writer and producer credits
Artwork + visuals
cover art (correct dimensions and format per distributor)
profile and header images (if you’ll update branding)
short visual loop or teaser assets (optional)
Metadata
song title, artist name, featured artists (exact spelling)
release date
genre (choose what fits, don’t overthink)
explicit flag
songwriter and producer credits
lyrics (optional but helpful, depending on platforms)
Links and destinations
pre-save link (if you’re doing pre-saves)
smart link for release day
signup link (email or SMS) if you’re capturing audience
Checkpoint: if any part of the release package is not ready, tasks that depend on it should not be scheduled yet.
Step 4: Create a backward timeline with milestones
Start from release day and plan backwards. Your timeline should include milestones, not just tasks.
Core milestones to include
M1: Delivery deadline (to distributor)
M2: Pitching deadline (playlist and outreach materials ready)
M3: Content capture deadline (shoot day completed)
M4: Announcement day (date you go public)
M5: Pre-save start (if applicable)
M6: Release day execution
M7: Post-release follow-through (weeks 1 to 4)
Typical dependency chain
You cannot deliver without final master + final artwork + metadata.
You cannot pitch without a clear story + assets + links + copy.
You cannot publish consistent content without capture and editing scheduled in advance.
Make dependencies explicit so you can see what blocks what.
Step 5: Turn milestones into tasks and assign owners
For each milestone, create tasks with a single owner and a due date.
Example task groups:
Audio: mix revisions, master approval, export finals
Visuals: cover art brief, drafts, final approval, exports
Metadata: credits collection, lyrics draft, distributor fields
Content: shoot planning, filming, selects, edits, captions, scheduling
Promotion: pitch copy, email/SMS copy, influencer or collab coordination, ad assets (if using)
Admin: splits agreements, collaborator approvals, budget tracking
Even if you are solo, assign every task to you. Clarity prevents “invisible” work.
Step 6: Build a content plan that matches the timeline
Content is not “post more.” It is a sequence that builds familiarity and anticipation.
Content plan basics
Pick 3 content lanes (simple and sustainable):
Proof: performance clips, studio clips, live vocals, instrument moments
Story: why this song exists, meaning, behind-the-scenes, turning points
Relationship: fan prompts, Q&A, comments replies, duets, stitch ideas
Map content to phases
Pre-announcement: seed curiosity (teasers, vague but interesting)
Announcement to release: build repetition (hook clips, story clips, pre-save CTA)
Release week: conversion and attention spike (link push, live moment, reactions)
Post-release: keep the song alive (alternate hooks, remixes, acoustic, UGC prompts)
Operational tip: Schedule a capture day early, then create editing tasks from that footage. If you wait until release week to film, you will rush and publish less.
Step 7: Plan promotion like a system, not a scramble
Promotion is how you turn the release into outcomes. Keep it structured.
Minimum promotion plan
1 announcement post
3 to 7 pre-release posts (spread across 2 to 4 weeks)
2 to 4 release-week pushes (including one “hard” CTA)
4 to 8 post-release pieces over the next 2 to 4 weeks
1 email or SMS message on release day (if you have owned audience)
Optional but useful
collaborator amplification plan (who posts what, and when)
outreach list (curators, writers, DJs, playlist editors, creators)
small paid test (only if you can track outcomes and have assets ready)
Write your pitch materials once, early:
one-paragraph story of the song
three bullet points (sounds like, mood, references)
key links (private stream if needed, pre-save/release link)
3 to 5 “caption-ready” lines you can reuse
Step 8: Create a release-week execution checklist
Release week is where plans collapse if you do not have a checklist.
Release week checklist (core):
confirm release is live everywhere (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc.)
update smart link and bio links
post your primary release announcement
send email/SMS (if applicable)
pin the release link where appropriate
publish at least one piece of proof content (performance clip)
publish at least one piece of story content (meaning or behind-the-scenes)
respond to comments and messages for the first 24 to 72 hours
track early signals (saves, shares, repeat comments)
Avoid: spending release day fixing missing assets and broken links. That should have been handled before launch.
Step 9: Run a post-release plan for 2 to 4 weeks
Most independent releases stop too soon. Post-release is where consistency wins.
Post-release actions:
recycle the best-performing clip with a new hook or angle
publish alternate versions (acoustic, live, remix, stripped)
prompt UGC (stitch this, duet this, use this sound)
follow up with collaborators and outreach list
update your “top content” highlights or pinned posts
Goal: keep the song in circulation long enough for discovery and repeat exposure.
Step 10: Capture learnings and update the template
Do not skip this. This is where compounding happens.
Post-release review (30 minutes):
What content formats got the most saves, shares, comments?
What channel drove the most meaningful actions (pre-saves, signups, streams)?
What tasks took longer than expected?
What did you wish you had prepared earlier?
What should become a template for next time?
Write down the answers in the same place you keep your release plan.
Common mistakes
Announcing before the plan exists
You create pressure without structure. Marketing becomes reactive.
No dependencies
A flat checklist hides the fact that half your tasks cannot start yet.
Content starts too late
If you only post on release day, you are asking for instant results without buildup.
Assets are scattered
Version confusion kills momentum: wrong files, wrong captions, wrong links.
Release week is treated as the finish line
Post-release consistency often matters more than release day intensity.
Where integrated systems fit
A release plan breaks when it lives across scattered notes, spreadsheets, DMs, and folders. Integrated systems help when they connect:
milestones to tasks
tasks to owners and due dates
assets to the exact tasks they support
decisions and approvals to the work they change
templates to future releases
This is where Orphiq fits as infrastructure: a centralized workspace for music release planning and execution, so timelines, dependencies, assets, and tasks live in one connected system instead of fragmented tools.
Recommended internal links:
Concise conclusion
A strong release plan is not more effort. It’s effort in the right order:
define the release and goal
build the release package early
plan backwards with milestones and dependencies
schedule content capture and editing before the rollout
execute release week with a checklist
run post-release for 2 to 4 weeks
review and update your template