The Ultimate Guide For Marketing New Music Part 2: Timeline
Have you ever asked yourself how to market your new music? In this segment of the ultimate guide for music marketing, we will review the timeline for releasing a song as well as share some practical tips on content.
Once an artist has wrapped up the production phase of their new release, the first important decision at stake is to set a release date. This decision should take into account all delays and unforeseen situations often arising during production stages. By not risking any rushed date and having a comfortable timeline, the artist will be in a position where they will not fumble the release.
According to the stats at MPT Agency, Friday is the ideal day of the week to release music. Choosing Friday for release day will significantly increase an artist’s chance to place their new music on top playlists. The weekend is about to hit, DJs are lining up their gigs, and new music has a higher value when people are about to party.
Unless an artist chooses another day of the week for force majeure, be it an event anniversary, a partnership, or a marketing-driven purpose, releasing music on Friday is a no-brainer.
Once the date is set, artists have to plan their strategy 4 to 6 weeks ahead of the release date in order to implement all the steps that will contribute to deploying an impactful marketing strategy. A lot of the waiting game is based on the delivery funnel: distributors approving releases, giving DSPs time to receive requests. Even playlist editors need to have enough time to receive pitches and decide on playlist placement, this time frame is crucial for the full implementation of a professional marketing campaign.
Marketing Your New Music: Timeline
Now that your track is mastered, mixed, and ready for some fresh ears, the game comes down to content release and the mix of events that will make the track a success.
6 weeks before the release date
- Find and secure a venue for a listening event or release show and promote the heck out of it
- Have your social media marketing strategy ready or enlist the help of a music promotion company like MPT Agency to make the magic happen.
4 weeks before the release date
- Make sure that all of your social media matches the visuals of your release, (share the pre-save / pre-sale link in bios, posts, and CRM).
- Pitch the release on Spotify For Artists for better playlist results
3 weeks before the release date
- Find a media partner (press/radio/YouTube) that will premiere your new song/album
- Involve influencers, fans, friends, family, and colleagues to share
- Add any new ‘spotlights’ that you have to your marketing driver form
2 weeks before the release date
- Begin your pre-save / pre-sale campaign.
- Keep sharing and posting (enlist the help of friends, fans, and of course paid influencers)
Market your new music as it progress’s step by step through each week, Rome was not built in a day! Each one of these content types can be found as individual blogs in our catalog, with more on the way every week.
Week of release
- Premiere the release (with the help of a media partner)
- Throw a listening party/release show with the same crowd of peeps and now their friends
Release date
- Share across ALL your social media pages, and make sure to always have a “call to action” for fans to stream/download.
- Always share any kind of support you receive, tagging and thanking anyone who has supported/featured the release.
- Re-post fan shares to maximize the impact, and to create a closer bond between you and the fans.
Post-release strategy about how to market your new music
- Run your call to action and user-generated content campaigns with an incentive for fans who opt-in
- Continue posting, and sharing, and always include a call to action, tag those who support/feature your work for that extra props to the people.
The timeline for a release is quite straightforward. Your release and public relations need to be in line with how the market conducts itself in order for the scenario to be ideal. Once you have your hours and dates prepared the rest becomes a question of creative content creation. The timing is important because the industry works like clockwork, and you need to fit into others’ schedules to advance.
When working with MPT Agency, your release is done with this type of timeline in mind. As your song progresses it gathers more and more traction from fans with its press cycle. The press cycle in turn pushes fan engagements, and finally, your track grows from views to the charts. Since our team takes care of the full 360, your content is optimized too.
There are quite a few blogs on our site that talk about the best ways to promote and manage your music, you can check them out via the link ahead, one you can start right after this one is a guide on brand messaging.
Some bonus content about content, inspire yourself, and climb that ladder!
Key Content Types For Fresh Releases
Marketing Drivers On How To Market Your New Music
In order to stand out from the crowd and get featured, you should emphasize the quality of the content in your release. Here’s a spotlight on some of the key marketing materials to use:
- Music clips
- Radio campaigns
- Social media followers and engagement count
- Third-party Spotify playlists
- Media and brand partnerships
- Premieres and other credible press
- Tour dates, festival appearances, notable opening acts and “shared stage with”, etc.
- Charts (including iTunes, Billboard, and others)
- Planned advertising for the new release
- Booking agent, TV/film appearances, artist management, etc.
Promotion Ideas When You Are About To Market Your New Music
Not everything on this list will be possible to accomplish for all artists. So sit down with your team, inspire yourself from our blogs and get creative on delivery, and customization, and build something that fits with your brand!
- Pre-save/Pre-sale campaign
- Countdown to release on social media
- CTA (pre-save, download, view) to fans
- Set up targeted digital advertising campaigns on social platforms
- Boost posts that include the pre-save/stream link
- Incentives like merchandise, autographed items, exclusive tracks, VIP meet, and greets
- Partner with distributors
- Create artist playlists on Spotify and other streaming platforms
- Place the new releases at the very top
- Invite other artists, friends, and influencers to share the release on their socials (do the same for them)
- Be sure all DSP and social profiles are up-to-date, verified when possible, and consistent.
- Keep all tour dates fresh and allow direct messaging on Bandsintown
MPT Agency, is your partner in strategic timing.
Any way you want to look at it, the most significant element of your plan will be how it is timed in the overall market it is performing. MPT Agency has the experience and network to make any campaign mobilize in full force. Knowing the whole picture and planning with every element at your disposal isn’t easy when you’re banging out 20 hours a week of studio time. Our experts can help you plan proper release times and make sure your content is being distributed from the right angle without resources going to waste. Let’s take your career to the next level!
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