The 30-Day Pre-Release Timeline
Published · updated · by Loopin
Two dates in a release actually have consequences. Miss them and you lose editorial and Release Radar; hit them and everything else is just posting. Here is the countdown.
Day −30 to −22: finish and deliver
The master needs to be finished and uploaded to your distributor by day −22 at the latest. Distributors quote three to seven business days to reach stores, but the number that matters is when the track appears in Spotify for Artists, because you cannot pitch a track that is not there yet.
Deliver everything in the same sitting: master, artwork at 3000×3000, credits, and the ISRC if your distributor did not generate one. Coming back a week later to fix artwork resets your queue position at some distributors.
Day −21 to −15: pitch, and pitch properly
The first hard deadline. Pitch in Spotify for Artists at least 7 days before release — but aim for 14 to 21, because editorial playlists are built weeks out and the earlier submissions get read by humans with room left in their lists.
That submission is also what makes the track eligible for Release Radar for your existing followers. This is the part people miss: even if no editor picks it up, pitching is what guarantees your own followers get served the song. Not pitching costs you that automatically.
Day −14 to −8: pre-save and first tease
Set up the pre-save now, not on release week. Post the first clip on day −14: no announcement, no date, just the loudest eight seconds with a text hook. You are testing which part of the song people react to while there is still time to act on the answer.
Post a second clip around day −10 using a different section. If one clearly outperforms, that is the section you use on release day and in any ad. This is the cheapest audience test you will ever run.
Day −7 to −1: announce, then repeat
Day −7: announce the date and the artwork, in one post, with the pre-save link. Day −4: behind-the-scenes — the voice memo it started as, a lyric, a photo of the session. Day −2: a countdown post. Day −1: the winning clip again, with the date on screen.
Message people individually in this window, not in a broadcast. Twenty personal messages to people who have already engaged with you converts better than one story to a thousand who have not.
Release day and the number that matters
Post at the same time the song goes live in your biggest listening market, not in your own timezone if those differ. Then post again eight hours later with a different clip — one release-day post is one impression window and the feed moves on.
The metric to watch in the first 48 hours is the save rate, not the stream count. Saves are what tell the algorithm to keep serving the track after your own push stops, and they are the input to the second week, which is the week that actually decides the release.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I upload a song to my distributor?
At least three weeks, ideally four. Distribution takes three to seven business days, and you need the track live in Spotify for Artists before you can pitch it — so a late upload silently costs you the pitch window.
When is the Spotify pitch deadline?
Seven days before release is the minimum. Aim for 14 to 21 days. That same submission is what makes the track eligible for Release Radar for your existing followers, so skipping it costs you reach even if no editor picks it up.
What should I track in the first week after release?
Save rate, not streams. Saves tell the algorithm to keep serving the track once your own promotion stops, which is what decides the second week.