Release Rollout
A practical release plan from The Source
This article is designed to provide guidance with a practical release plan to ensure that your release reaches the online stores at the time you want it to and how you want it to. If you're looking for tips on how and when to release an album and its associated singles, click
here.
How do you make sure your release creates buzz and generates streams? Start early.
Every step below is labelled by how many weeks before release it happens, right through to release day itself.
Edition 2026 · The Source BV · content@the-source.eu
6 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE | Your release is finished, and delivered to us Your master is finished and delivered to The Source, with complete metadata and final artwork. Six weeks is not padding. Your fans need time to discover and share your music, and the stores need time to process the release, attach it to your artist profile, replace auto-generated Art Tracks with your official video, and consider it for editorial playlists. For this we need at least 10 working days. Deliver later than that and we cannot guarantee that everything is live and correct on release day. This is also the moment to think about your audience: who is this the ideal music for, what else do they listen to, and where are they online? |
↓
6 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE | Artwork & press text Make sure the release has professional cover art that meets the specifications. Write a short press text, one page is plenty: what makes this release and you as an artist unique, what you have achieved so far, upcoming live dates, and any press coverage. You will reuse that text in every pitch you send: to us, to the streaming services, to playlist curators, blogs and radio. |
↓
5 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE | Update your profiles Update your social channels and your streaming profiles:  Spotify for Artists,  Apple Music for Artists, Amazon Music for Artists, YouTube Official Artist Channel and  Deezer. New profile picture, new header, a complete and up-to-date bio, and current press photos everywhere. Get verified where you can. Meta profile verification and TikTok profile verification with sound mapping both take time, so start now. You can tease the new music without announcing it; studio footage works well for this. Complete, active profiles help you in the recommendation algorithms and tell the world that you take your music seriously. |
↓
4 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE | Pitch to the streaming services    Spotify: pitch one unreleased track through Spotify for Artists. Spotify's own deadline is 7 days before release, but that leaves the editors almost no time, pitch four weeks out. Fill in genre, mood, instruments, culture and the territories that matter, and write a real pitch (see “Writing a Spotify pitch that gets read” below). Amazon Music for Artists has its own pitch tool under 'New Releases'. Apple Music works on a relationship basis, and Deezer's Pitching Tool is only open to label and provider accounts, so send your pitch information to content@the-source.eu and we will submit it for you and flag priority releases to our DSP partners. |
↓
3 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE | Announce the release, start collecting pre-saves  Announce the release and turn your reach into pre-saves and follows. Create a fan link on the portal with a pre-save; we recommend running one for the releases you believe in most. Spotify Countdown Pages are worth checking too. At the time of writing, they require a new original album or EP and a minimum number of monthly listeners; singles, reissues, deluxe and anniversary editions, remasters and compilations are not eligible. Check the Campaigns tab in Spotify for Artists for the current thresholds. |
↓
2 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE | Pitch to playlists, blogs, radio and creators There are thousands of successful independent playlists. The free method: find an artist in your genre who is one step ahead of you, look at the independent playlists that carry them, find the curator and pitch them personally. The paid route runs through platforms such as SubmitHub, Groover, Playlist Push and Feature.fm; select carefully, based on the audience you defined in week six. You already know who your audience is and where they are, so this is the week to pitch blogs, magazines, radio shows and podcasts. Approach creators as well, and not only music channels: gaming, beauty, sport, cooking and vlogging all need high-quality music they are allowed to use. Offer them your track in exchange for a credit. Free music for them, free promotion for you, just let us know, so Content ID does not claim their video! |
↓
1 WEEK BEFORE RELEASE | Share, remind, and prepare release day Share, share, share, socials, niche communities, Discord, your mailing list, and everyone you know. Send a friendly reminder to anyone who has not replied within a few days; that is normal, not rude. Prepare your release-day assets now: short-form video for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, a Spotify Canvas, story templates, and a lyric video if it suits the track. |
↓
Day 0 | Release day, and the weeks after  Post the smart link everywhere, thank the people who pre-saved, and play the song live. The first week carries the most weight in the algorithms: saves, playlist adds and repeat listens matter more than a single spike in streams. This is where the paid Spotify tools come in. Marquee puts a full-screen recommendation in front of listeners who already know you, and Discovery Mode buys algorithmic reach in exchange for a reduced per-stream rate. Both have eligibility thresholds and both are a deliberate trade-off; look them up in the Campaigns tab before you commit. Keep the campaign running for four to six weeks. Going quiet on day two is the most common mistake we see. Follow your numbers in the Royalty Dashboard in the Content Editor. |
Note: This release rollout document contains suggestions based on our experience and expertise. You are entirely free to handle your releases whichever way you like. |
Writing a Spotify pitch that gets read
In Spotify for Artists, go to Music → Upcoming, select the track and choose 'Pitch a song'. You can pitch one unreleased song per release, and only while it is unreleased.
A good pitch tells the editor, in a few lines: what makes this track unique in its genre, what you have achieved so far (streams, playlist placements, press), which media have covered you, your upcoming live dates, your strongest market and city, and the marketing you have planned yourself. No press coverage yet? Then focus entirely on what makes the track distinctive and how audiences respond to it live.
Example of a pitch that works “Your name return with album name after support from BBC Radio 1, Clash Magazine and Red Bull. Their previous single passed 300,000 streams and was added to three Spotify editorial playlists. Their audience is strongest in Germany, with Berlin as their top city. Track name is the opening track of their spring tour, and we are running a pre-save campaign plus paid social in DE, NL and UK from four weeks out.” |
Tips that still work in 2026
- Short-form video first: One strong clip beats ten weak ones. Pick the most recognisable eight seconds of the track and build the clip around it. Post it yourself before you ask anyone else to use it.
- Niche communities: Reddit, Discord servers and genre forums still deliver real listeners. Mention the genre and something like 'for fans of ...', and make sure your first posts get engagement quickly so they stay visible.
- Collaborate one step up: Approach artists who are slightly more established than you, if you have 300 monthly listeners, talk to someone with 1,000, not 30,000, and be clear about what you bring.
- Connect your profiles: Spotify, Apple, Deezer and YouTube all let you link your socials. Interconnect as many as you can, so a listener who finds you in one place can follow you everywhere.
- Live performances: Use the stage to promote the release. A short intro that says 'this one is not out yet' turns an audience into pre-savers.
- Your mailing list: It looks old-fashioned and it still converts better than almost anything else. Use an established platform such as Mailchimp so your domain does not end up blacklisted.
Do not buy streams or playlist placements Never pay for streams, or for a spot on a playlist, as they probably run on bots or fake accounts. It gets your content demonetised or removed, it can put your whole catalogue under review, and it damages the artist profile you have just spent six weeks building. Be very wary of any service that promises you an exact number of streams. Real promotion buys you attention, never a guaranteed number. See 'Artificial Streaming and other fraud' in our Knowledge Base. One more thing: if a creator uses your music in a video on YouTube or social media, that's fantastic — but let us know, so Content ID does not claim their video. And remember that your streaming and sales data and royalties are all in the Royalty Dashboard in the portal. |
Frequently asked questions
When should I plan my release date?
Six weeks ahead. We know you want it out as soon as possible, but your fans need time to discover and share your music, and the stores need time to process the release, place it in playlists and promotions, replace Art Tracks with your official video, and gather everything under your official artist profiles.
How can I pitch to blogs and creators if they cannot stream my music yet?
Use a private link. Upload the unreleased track to SoundCloud and set it to private, or create a pre-release link. Always test the link with a friend before you send it out.
What is a pre-save, and should I run one?
A pre-save lets fans add your release to their library before it comes out, so the saves land on release day, which is exactly what the algorithms look at. We recommend running one for the releases with the most potential; ask us and we will make you a Linkfire pre-save link.
How do I get my music into the right playlists?
Start with the free method: look up a similar but slightly bigger artist, check which playlists carry them, and if the playlist is independent, find the curator and pitch them personally. Keep it short and say why your track fits their playlist specifically. Paid platforms such as SubmitHub, Groover and Playlist Push can speed this up, but they never replace a good pitch.
I am willing to pay for promotion. What is smart? 
Paid social, creators and curator platforms, spent on the audience you defined at the start of the rollout. Paying for streams does the opposite of what you want: those listeners never come back, and the algorithm notices, which makes editorial and algorithmic placement less likely. On Spotify, extend your release moment with Spotify's campaign tools. Display campaigns put your music in front of listeners most likely to press play with eye-catching formats like Marquee and Showcase.
Should I release singles first, or the whole album at once?
Usually singles first, building towards the album, so you get several moments of attention instead of one. See 'About albums and singles' in our Knowledge Base and note that some Spotify campaign tools are only available for albums and EPs. Also, you can consider a waterfall release.
What is a waterfall release?
In a waterfall, every new single is a separate release that also contains the singles you released before it: single 2 holds tracks 1 and 2, single 3 holds tracks 1 to 3, and so on until the album. The earlier tracks keep their original ISRCs, so the streams, saves and playlist adds they have already collected keep counting; each new single lands on a product that is already performing instead of starting from zero, and one link keeps sending listeners to your newest music.
A waterfall only works if the release dates, track order, artwork and metadata are planned before the first single goes out; repairing it halfway is painful. So ask us before you deliver single one and we will set the schedule up with you.
How do I get Spotify for Artists and Apple Music for Artists access? 
Go to artists.spotify.com and artists.apple.com and request access to your artist profile; both verify that you are who you say you are. Our Knowledge Base article 'Spotify and Apple Music for Artists' walks you through it, and we can help if a request stalls.
How do I get an Official Artist Channel on YouTube? 
If your music is delivered to YouTube Music, YouTube automatically creates Art Tracks. An Official Artist Channel claims those as yours, so they end up on your own channel instead of an auto-generated 'Topic' channel. See 'About YouTube Music, Art Tracks, Artist Channels and Topics' in the Knowledge Base.
Can The Source pitch on my behalf?
Yes, for the tools that are only open to us as a provider, Deezer's Pitching Tool for example, and we flag priority releases to our DSP partners. Send your press text and pitch information to content@the-source.eu at least four weeks before release, and fill in the required data in the promotion steps of the Release Builder while you set up the release.
And of course we are always available to help you pitch artist-driven resources. In specific situations, and that is an editorial decision, The Source can also support you with paid advertising on several platforms. That does require your active cooperation: we will not invest money while you lie back and relax.
Useful links
The Source Knowledge Base
Artist dashboards
Pitching and promotion platforms
More questions? Just let us know: content@the-source.eu. We are here for you, and we would much rather answer a question six weeks before your release than fix a problem on release day. |