Photo by Derek Truninger on Unsplash
Having a great release strategy is key to making or breaking your new album or song. If there is one piece of advice that we here at Indiependency must get across to you, it’s START PLANNING EARLY!!
Not only will this help you have everything set and ready when it comes to distribution, but it will allow you to meet media deadlines and create opportunities for you to expand your audience. People will notice when you truly put passion, time, and effort into your project.
If you’re thinking about releasing with a label, a promotion strategy is especially important. Once your tracks are ready, we recommend pitching them to labels right away. This gives you time to find the right label for you, settle the contract terms, and set the date for the release. You can get started pitching your tracks to labels here: https://www.indiependency.com/product-page/labels-pitch
Now, there is no “perfect” time to release your new tracks as it is all relative to what type of artist you are and what message you are trying to relay. However, for independent artists, there are some months that are better than others. Here are a couple of things you should research and consider when you are planning a release date:
Firstly, research sales periods across the year. What dates did independent artists who share a similar sound to you release and how good were their sales? Were they successful? Analyze how they promoted and draw inspiration for your promotion strategy and date to release. You “started planning early” right? So, you got the time.
Next, consider holiday and festival dates. Unless you’re releasing a Christmas album, we recommend steering clear of November and December releases. The music industry comes to a sort of shut down as people travel for the holidays and bigger artists take advantage of the retail spike during the holiday season. Also, keep in mind that SXSW (“the largest music festival of its kind in the world”) can have an impact on the February, March, and April dates as media outlets are putting their efforts towards covering the different SXSW performers.
Releasing a new project can be so exciting and how you release it is completely up to you. However, at the end of the day, all musicians love to see that they reached a big audience. So, before your next release, remember to start planning early and research your optimal release date.
Looking to promote your next release? We’ve got you covered. Visit https://www.indiependency.com/shop for more information