Whenever you are preparing your new single or album for release, it’s important to first get all of your ducks in a row. Think about it this way—you spent plenty of time ensuring that every song was written to the best of your ability, beautifully recorded and expertly mixed. Why would you want to work so hard on steps 1-4 only to rush through step 5? Preparing your music for a great release involves taking your time to distribute, promote and monetize your creation.
Set Your Release Date At Least 3 Months in the Future
It’s tempting to pull a Beyonce and surprise-release an album (if you’re reading this Beyonce, you can do whatever you want!), but it simply isn’t practical for the average artist. Setting a date 3-6 months in the future gives you and your PR team time to meet media submission deadlines, build awareness and start getting a buzz. It’s tempting to push out the music you made as quickly as you can, but overnight successes are never built overnight. You should also set your date to be a Friday. In 2015, release dates changed from Tuesday to Friday to help prevent music piracy. While you won’t get in trouble for releasing on another day, it’s good to give weight to your album by going along with traditional industry schedules.
Find the Right Music Bloggers and Influencers
You should send your new release to music bloggers, magazines and influencers who are notable names in your industry to increase your fanbase and get more publicity for your music. Spend some time researching the best publications and sites for your music and the right people to send your music to get it heard. If you are working with specific writers, it doesn’t hurt to say why they might be interested in your music in an intro email. For example, “I noticed that you cover a lot of alternative Christian artists who play ukulele and acoustic music. My new album might be right up your alley!”
Set a Single Release Date
While you do need to wait to release your album, you can distribute singles beforehand to build buzz. It’s good to release at least one or two singles before the full EP or LP comes out. If you want to get the most coverage on social media and blogs, consider having one downloadable mp3 on Soundcloud.
Join the Christian Musicpreneur Club
If you’d like more help from me and my friends in the music industry, consider joining the Christian Musicpreneur Club. You’ll have unlimited access to all the trainings and will get a 30-minute private session with me every month so we can strategize a unique plan for you! Go to https://echemusic.com/family for more information.