Music Release Timeline, A 4-Week Plan for Independent Artists

A rushed release often creates jobs at the worst possible time. The song may be finished, but the artwork, links, pitch and social posts are still waiting. A simple music release timeline gives each task a place, so release day can focus on the music instead of fixing avoidable problems.

This four-week plan is made for independent artists working alone or with a small team. Four weeks is a useful starting point, not a rule for every campaign. A bigger album, physical product or press campaign may need much longer. If your release is already closer, keep the order and shorten the gaps.

Why start four weeks before release?

DistroKid currently recommends choosing a release date at least four weeks ahead when you need music to launch on a set date across platforms. It warns that a shorter gap can leave a release waiting in a service review queue. Its normal delivery estimates vary by service, and delays can still happen.

Read DistroKid's official guidance on future release dates.

Spotify asks artists to deliver and pitch an unreleased song at least seven days before release. A qualifying pitch made in time also places that selected song in followers' Release Radar. Editorial playlist placement is never guaranteed. We checked this guidance on 7 October 2026.

Read Spotify's official pitching instructions.

Week 4: Lock the music and upload it

Choose the final audio, title, artist name, artwork and release date. Listen to the finished file on headphones, speakers and a phone. Check the beginning and end for unwanted silence or cuts. Confirm the spelling and capital letters you want before submitting the release.

Upload the song through your distributor and select a future date if your plan allows it. Make sure it is going to the correct artist profiles. If the artist name is shared by several acts, use any profile mapping tools your distributor offers. Save the release details, artwork and audio together in one clearly named folder.

Write one sentence that explains the song. Add a short paragraph about its story, sound and mood. These notes will help with pitches, captions and your artist bio. Do not wait until the night before release to decide what the song is about.

Week 3: Build the release page and main assets

Prepare one main listening page or pre-save link. Test it on a phone and in a signed-out browser. Keep the new release at the top, and remove buttons that do not help this campaign. A listener should know what the page is for within a few seconds.

Create a small set of useful assets. This could be the cover, a vertical video, a square post, a lyric image and one clean artist photo. You do not need twenty versions. Make enough to tell the story in different ways without making the campaign impossible to finish.

Update your short artist bio and press kit. Put the new song first, add the release date and check every contact detail. If you are pitching blogs or radio, make a private stream available and explain when the song becomes public.

Use The Hubb's music press kit checklist.

Update your story with our artist bio guide.

Week 2: Pitch and prepare the posts

Open Spotify for Artists and check whether the release appears under Upcoming. Choose the unreleased song you want to pitch and complete the form carefully. Describe the genre, mood, instruments, story and promotion plan honestly. Submit it with at least seven days left if you want to meet Spotify's stated timing.

Send a small number of personal pitches to suitable blogs, radio shows or curators. Read their submission rules first. Explain why the song fits their audience, then include the listening link, release date and press kit. Keep a simple list of who you contacted so you do not send the same pitch twice.

Draft your main social posts now. Prepare an introduction to the song, a short story behind one lyric, a clip that starts with the strongest moment and a release-day post with the correct link. Write clear captions that give people a reason to listen.

Week 1: Test everything and start the story

Check that the release is still listed correctly in your distributor and artist dashboards. Test every public and private link. Check the artist name, song title, artwork and date again. Ask another person to look, because they may spot an error you have stopped seeing.

Start talking about the release without repeating the same advert each day. One post could explain the feeling behind the chorus. Another could show a small part of the process. A third could tell listeners exactly when and where the song will arrive.

Schedule only the posts you are confident about. Leave room to reply to people and share anything unexpected. Save all captions, links and files in one place so release morning does not begin with a search through old messages.

Release day: Make listening simple

Check the live song before sharing it. Confirm that the link opens the correct release on the correct artist profile. Update the main link in your social profiles, website and press kit. If one service is delayed, use a page that shows the working options rather than sending people to a broken link.

Share your strongest post, thank anyone who helped and spend time replying to real listeners. Avoid posting the link in every comment or private message. A release is a chance to start conversations, not just collect clicks.

The week after: Keep the release alive

Release day is not the end of the campaign. Share a live version, lyric story, recording detail or listener response during the following week. Give each post a new reason to hear the song. Repeating the same cover and caption will usually add little.

Review what happened after seven days. Note which post brought useful comments, which pitch received a reply and which link people used. Keep what worked for the next release. Do not judge the whole song by its first-day stream count.

Your four-week music release checklist

Week 4: Finalise the music, artwork, information and distributor upload.
Week 3: Build the listening page, content assets, bio and press kit.
Week 2: Submit the Spotify pitch and contact suitable media.
Week 1: Test every detail and begin telling the song's story.
Release day: Check the live song, update links and speak with listeners.
After release: Share fresh angles and record what you learned.

A good music release timeline should reduce stress, not create more work. If a task does not help someone understand, hear or share the song, it may not belong in this campaign. Start with the essentials, finish them properly and improve the plan each time you release.