How to Release Music in 2023
More singles released result in greater streaming incentives in the current environment of streaming giants. Additionally, since streaming services are a significant source of income for musicians, it makes sense that the more music you upload to sites like YouTube and Spotify, the more you'll be eligible for their rewards programs and the more money you'll probably make.
Keep reading to learn the steps for how to release music in 2023 below.
Plan Ahead
You still need to provide adequate time for preparation and planning, even if releasing a single doesn't need as much planning as releasing an album.
It's crucial to choose a release date as soon as possible. Based on this date, you can create the rest of your release plan's timetable and establish due dates for activities that must be accomplished before and after your release date.
You should begin considering and making judgments regarding the promotion and release plan approximately one to two months in advance.
Create Your Song or Album Artwork
Create the album or song cover art. You must have previously finished creating your artwork before releasing your music. The majority of music distributors advise using 3,000 × 3,000-pixel images. We recommend using Canva.com to design your music artwork regardless of whether you own Photoshop or another picture editing program. You have two options: explore and tweak their photographs using various filters or search for the album art on a website like Unsplash.com.
Decide on a Distributor
Have you ever questioned how to get your tracks on platforms like TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music, and a hundred others? Digital service providers are the solution!
Here are a few well-known distributors:
If it's not a serious endeavor, you can utilize a free service like Routenote, but if your band is important to you as a company, we don't encourage it. Whatever you decide, select a plan that enables you to specify a release date.
Clear Licenses in Your Music Production
You must get clearance for any samples you utilize that are not royalty-free and follow a set of instructions if you publish a cover. You should be able to get assistance with these processes from your selected distributor. Don't take a chance, even if you utilized a second piece of someone else's writing!
Register Your Publishing
There are two types of publication royalties received for each stream:
- A performance royalty is created whenever music is heard in public, whether at a live performance, on the radio, or in a place of business.
- A mechanical royalty is produced when music is replicated in any tangible medium like a CD or vinyl record. Every digital download or streaming service (such as Apple Music, Spotify, etc.) generates a mechanical royalty.
If you wish to register with a publishing firm to collect your money from these many locations with one visit, do so to avoid headaches! An admin publishing firm will cover your worldwide mechanical and performance royalties.
Get Your Copyrights in Order
Nothing is more upsetting than having your music stolen or sampled without permission and compensation. For this reason, you should register copyrights for your music if you reside in the United States. If someone steals your music without permission, you can bring a lawsuit immediately, thanks to quick copyright registration.
When you register your copyright before a release, you'll also be eligible for legal expense reimbursement and a sizable payment for each instance of infringement.
However, if the infringement occurs first and you hurry to register your copyrights immediately after that, you can wait up to nine months to initiate a lawsuit. You won't get a full refund for your legal bills; the infringement will only get you a little payment.
Do yourself a favor and complete this as quickly as possible if you reside in the United States! Keep the original samples and lyrics you wrote down in case of any copyright infringement.
Create or Update an Electronic Press Kit
The musical counterpart of a résumé is an electronic press kit or EPK. Professionals in the business are typically issued EPKs outlining your proposal. You can highlight many aspects in this resume purely housed online. Your statistics (streams and followers) and any career highlights to date.
Send Your Music to the Editors of the Spotify Playlists
There is a playlist submission option at the back end of your Spotify account. Most bands know the importance of playlist placement for gaining new followers.
It is simpler said than done. Spotify highly values the development and long-term plan of an artist. Press coverage, your internet presence, your release timetable, and your release strategy are all included in this.
Promote Your Music With User-Generated Playlists
Spend some time exploring various Spotify user-generated playlists. Check to see whether they go with your music!
Find out who created those playlists by using the tool of your choice and keep track of them. Send them a customized message by contacting them personally. Tell them who you are, how much you enjoy the playlist, and why you believe their song would fit in well.
Never agree to any transaction for money for someone to add your song to their playlist. It's against Spotify's rules and might result in your account being suspended.
To help take this process off your hands, you can use playlist-pitching services like GetPlaylisted. They will help market your music to hundreds of different organic playlist creators to help get your music out there.
Create a Pre-Save Campaign
Fans can pre-save your music before it is released publicly by starting a pre-save campaign. Increasing your single or album's pre-saves on services like Tidal, Apple Music, and Spotify can give it the enormous push it needs to go popular on release day.
By amassing pre-saves on Spotify, for instance, you can be sure that all of your fans and followers will be able to hear it from the very beginning and that you will get early momentum.
Utilize Social Media
Leverage social media to benefit you by teaming up with influencers, publishing 15-second clips of the song on TikTok or Instagram Reels, or capitalizing on a current dance craze.
Particularly short-form content has flourished in recent years, and platforms are increasingly offering features tailored to this particular kind of material.
And since most people are now frequent social media users, that is where your target market is most likely to be hanging out regularly. Making this the ideal location for people to communicate with you and your new publication.
Make a big deal out of it in your feed articles and stories, and don't forget to provide a link in your profile so that people can watch it online.
Takeaways
Every project is unique, and the best part about running a music career is that you have the independence and ability to explore. The albums that sell the most are the ones that not only have brilliant release campaigns surrounding them but are also clearly fantastically produced records.
Ready to release your music in 2023? Don't forget to promote it to a wider audience and increase your chances of success with GetPlaylisted! Our playlist-pitching services will help market your music to hundreds of different organic playlist creators, giving your music the exposure it deserves. Sign up now to take your music career to the next level!
