Release timeline builder
Pick the Friday your music comes out. You get every deadline before it, from the finished master (the final version of the audio) to your Spotify pitch to release week.
We can plan the whole release with you.
We tell you who to pitch and what to send them, list the artwork, photos and videos to make, and write the email your mailing list gets on release day, all on one calendar.
- Release / Rollout Blueprint $397
A calendar worked back from the release date: every deadline, what to post and when, a release-week checklist, and who to pitch when. We don't pitch playlists for you or promise adds.
See what's in it
Not sure what you need? A 30-minute call (opens in a new tab) costs $49, and the fee comes off any project you book within 30 days. Flat fees, never a percentage of what you earn.
How far ahead to plan a release
For a single, the work starts about twelve weeks before release day. Finish the master, the artwork and the paperwork (split sheets and song registrations) first. Upload to your distributor, the service such as DistroKid or CD Baby that sends your music to Spotify and the other stores, about ten weeks out. Pitch press and radio about six weeks out, and Spotify's editors about four weeks out. EPs and albums start earlier, because each single you put out before them needs time of its own.
When we can, we plan our own artists' singles further out than that: about six months from finished masters, so there's time to build an audience before the release is announced. Twelve weeks is the minimum for doing it properly.
If the master, the artwork or anything else misses its date, move the release. A few weeks' delay costs nothing. A missed Spotify pitch can't be made up.
Why release on a Friday
Since 2015, new music has come out on Fridays almost everywhere. That's when the stores' new-release playlists refresh, and it's what your distributor and the streaming services expect. The builder will offer to move any other day to the next Friday.
The Spotify pitch
Spotify for Artists, Spotify's free app for musicians, lets you pitch one unreleased song to Spotify's playlist editors. Pitch at least 7 days before release and the song also goes to your followers' Release Radar, the new-music playlist Spotify makes for each listener every Friday. Once the song is live, it can't be pitched, and you can only pitch one song at a time, so plan pitches across a run of singles.
Fill in every field: genre, mood, instruments, and the story behind the song. Write it for a person who hasn't heard of you yet.
Singles, EPs and albums
Lead with singles. An EP usually follows one or two of them and an album two or three, and each single gets its own pitch and its own few weeks of attention. Build a plan here for each one. New, original EPs and albums can also get a Spotify Countdown Page, a pre-release page on your profile, once you have at least 3,000 monthly active listeners. That's a different figure from the monthly listeners on your profile; Spotify for Artists shows it under your audience stats.
Questions
What if I don't have twelve weeks?
Pitch Spotify's editors as soon as the song shows up in Spotify for Artists, ideally while release is still at least 7 days away. Then go through the release week checklist. If you can move the date, a few weeks' delay costs nothing. A missed Spotify pitch can't be made up.
When should I upload to my distributor?
Well ahead of release. Many distributors get a song to the stores within days, but a rejected cover or a fix to the song details can take days to sort out, and the song has to be in Spotify for Artists before you can pitch it.
Can I add this to Google Calendar or Apple Calendar?
Yes. "Add to calendar" downloads a file with every task on its date. Open it on your phone or computer, or import it in Google Calendar under Settings, Import and export.
What about vinyl?
Vinyl runs on a much longer clock than the rest of the campaign, and turnaround varies a lot between plants. Get a current quote and a confirmed slot before you lock the release date. If it can't make release day, make the vinyl its own later release.
Where is my plan saved?
Only in your browser, on this device. Nothing you enter is sent to Well Made Plays or anyone else.
Last reviewed October 8, 2026