Most release checklists start at release day: post the announcement, check the stream count, send to the email list. By that point, most of what determines whether a release builds traction has already been decided — or missed. This checklist starts eight weeks out. The full release strategy explains why each phase matters; this is the task list.
8–4 weeks out
- Lock the release date. A specific day, not a general window — the rest of the timeline works backwards from here.
- Submit to your distributor. Distribution needs to be live in Spotify for Artists before you can pitch editorial, and that pitch has a strict 7-day minimum before release. Submit at least 2–3 weeks out to be safe.
- Set up Spotify for Artists if it isn’t already: claim your profile, upload artist photos, add a bio.
- Plan your content calendar. Decide what you’ll post and when across the four weeks surrounding release.
- Prepare all assets now: stems, artwork files, high-res photos. Creating under pressure during a campaign costs more than the time it seems to save.
- Brief collaborators — co-writers, featured artists, anyone whose audience could amplify the release.
4–2 weeks out
- Submit your Spotify editorial pitch. The editorial pitch is a hard deadline — 7 days before release at minimum, earlier if possible. The pitch goes to Spotify’s editorial team and you can’t retroactively submit a release that’s already live.
- Launch your pre-save campaign. A pre-save converts passive awareness into a guaranteed stream and Spotify follow on release day.
- Seed TikTok creators with the audio if applicable. You want them posting when the release goes live — not two weeks later when the algorithmic window has closed.
- Reach out to independent curators who work with lead time. Many won’t consider tracks after release.
- Schedule all release-week content now. The goal is nothing left to create once the campaign starts.
Release week
- Confirm the release is live and showing correctly in Spotify for Artists.
- All social content is scheduled — nothing being written or filmed this week.
- Pre-save link actively promoted across all channels.
- Email list send is drafted and ready to go.
- Nothing new to plan. Execute only.
Release day and first 72 hours
- Send to your email list on release day. Ask specifically for a save, not just a stream. Saves and completion rate are what the algorithm reads — not raw stream numbers.
- Post across all social channels with a direct save ask in the copy.
- Engage actively: replies, shares, direct messages. The signal burst has to be real engagement, not passive traffic.
- Monitor saves-to-streams ratio in Spotify for Artists. If it’s low, adjust the ask in remaining posts.
Weeks 2–4
- Keep posting: one piece of content per week minimum. Most artists go quiet here. Spotify is still evaluating whether to extend the track’s reach — silence makes that decision easier.
- Reach out to independent curators with live stream and save data. They respond better to evidence than to promises.
- Pitch to sync libraries if the track fits — sync placement moves slowly, so start the conversation now.
- Review performance: where are streams coming from? Which content drove saves? What would you do differently on the next release?
The strategy behind each of these phases — what’s happening algorithmically and why timing matters — is laid out in how to release music independently. If you’re working through a release plan and want a second pair of eyes on it, that’s worth a conversation.
Not every release needs a formal pre-save campaign, but it costs almost nothing to set one up, and even a small pre-save list converts to guaranteed streams and Spotify follows on release day. For any release where you’re doing active promotion, a pre-save is worth including.
Spotify requires a minimum of 7 days before release, but submitting 3–4 weeks in advance gives you better odds. The pitch is submitted through Spotify for Artists once the release is confirmed in the system, so your distributor submission has to happen first.
If you miss the 7-day window, you can’t pitch that release to editorial — there’s no retroactive option. The priority for that release shifts to independent curators, who can add tracks after release, and your own content channels.
Four to six weeks post-release is the useful window. After that, Spotify has largely made its decision about algorithmic reach, and effort is better spent on the next release. The exception is sync licensing, which can place a track months or years later.