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Release Day Checklist: Everything to Do Before Your Song Drops

Most releases fail quietly, not because the song is weak but because the preparation was rushed. A release is a campaign with a timeline, and the work that matters happens weeks before the song is public. Use this checklist so nothing important is left to release week.

Five weeks out: foundations

• Final master, cover art, and metadata are complete and double-checked.
• Release date is set with your distributor, with enough lead time for every platform.
• Ownership and credits are settled: songwriters confirmed, splits agreed, split sheet completed, master ownership documented.
• Pre-save link is live and in your bios.
• Pitch your track to Spotify's editorial team through Spotify for Artists.
• Re-skin your profiles with the release imagery and title.

Three weeks out: build the runway

• Pre-save campaign is running across all your channels.
• Set up your lyrics and synced lyrics with Musixmatch.
• Secure a media partner or premiere if one fits your release.
• Ask friends, fans, and collaborators to share teasers with your pre-save link.
• Prepare your content bank: teaser clips, a visualiser or lyric video, artwork variations, and a short description of the song.

One week out: final push

• Premiere the track with your media partner, radio contact, or YouTube channel.
• Consider a listening party or release show.
• Make the final pre-save push across socials and email.
• Confirm every profile, link, and scheduled post is correct.

Release day: launch, don't just drop

• Update all profiles with OUT NOW messaging and artwork.
• Share your multilink across every channel and your mailing list.
• Go live on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube and play the song for your fans.
• Ask fans to make videos with your sound and share the best ones.
• Reply to comments and messages; release day is a conversation, not a broadcast.

After release day

Keep promoting. Share audience reactions, tell the story behind the song, post performance clips and alternate versions, and keep the track in rotation. Register your music with your performance rights organisation and make sure royalty collection is in place. The biggest mistake is treating release day as the finish line. It is the starting line.

Finally, write down what worked. Note which posts drove the most pre-saves, which playlist pitches got replies, and which content your fans shared. That record turns each release into a lesson, so your next checklist starts from experience instead of guesswork.

Release your next song with TIR →