Most songs that disappear on release day were not bad songs. They were songs that went out the day the master came back, with a cover made the night before, no pitch, no pre-save, and a single post that said "out now".

The song was finished. The release was not.

A release plan is the other half of the work. It is not a 40-tab spreadsheet or a marketing course. It is a short list of dated jobs, each with a name next to it, counted back from one date: release day.

A release has deadlines you can't move

Writing and mixing have no hard deadline. Releasing does, and several of them close before the song is out.

• The Spotify pitch. You can pitch one unreleased song to Spotify's editors in Spotify for Artists, and only once your distributor has delivered it. Pitch at least 7 days before release, or the song misses your followers' Release Radar. Miss it and the release is out with no pitch at all: you can't pitch a released song. See how far ahead to pitch to Spotify editorial playlists.
• Distributor delivery. The pitch needs the release in Spotify for Artists first, and stores need time to take it in. Delivering about 4 weeks before release day keeps both open.
• The pre-save. A pre-save or pre-add link needs the release in the stores, and it needs weeks to collect anything. Start it on release day and it does nothing.
• The metadata. A wrong artist name, a missing featured artist or a wrong ISRC is far easier to fix before delivery than after. Some fixes mean taking the release down and putting it back up.

None of these is hard. They are just easy to find out about one day too late. A plan puts them on a calendar before that day.

The first weeks are the release

On release day your song is the newest thing on your profile, in your followers' Release Radar and in the feeds of everyone you told. That attention fades fast. What you do in the first weeks decides whether the song finds listeners beyond the ones you already have: the posts, the videos, the playlists you reach out to, the people you send it to.

Without a plan, that work starts the day after release, when you notice it's quiet. With one, the content is shot, the posts are drafted and the outreach is lined up before the song is out, so release week is spent sharing, not scrambling.

A plan is how a team works together

A release is rarely one person's job. A designer does the cover, a manager pitches, a friend shoots the video, a label handles delivery. Every one of them needs to know two things: what is theirs, and when it's due.

"Who's doing the artwork?" is a question a plan answers before anyone asks it. A milestone with a date and an owner turns a group chat full of good intentions into work that gets done.

A plan fits the time you have

A plan doesn't need eight weeks. If your release is in two weeks, the plan is the shorter list that still fits: deliver today, pitch as soon as it shows up, shoot one video, draft the posts. The order matters more than the length. Leave out what doesn't fit, but know you left it out.

What a plan does need is a goal. "10K streams in the first four weeks", "500 new followers by release", "get on one editorial playlist". The goal decides what goes in: a release aimed at new listeners leans on playlists and short videos, a release aimed at your fans leans on email and a show.

Every plan makes the next one better

The release you just did is the best data you have for the next one. Which posts drove clicks? Which playlist sent listeners? Which deadline did you nearly miss? Write it down when the song is a few weeks old, while you still remember. The next plan starts from those lessons instead of from zero.

Plan it where the song lives

We built release plans into Aden because a plan works best next to the music it's for. Open a track, go to Release plans and press New plan. Aden asks a few questions, fills in what it already knows about the track, and writes milestones, tasks and draft posts, each dated inside the time left before your release. Give every milestone an owner, share a read only link with your label or manager, and after release the plan checks in each week with how the song is doing.

Want a plan in a minute? The free Release planner dates every step for a single, EP or album. Want the steps? Read how to make a release plan for a single and how to plan an EP or album rollout. Or create your Aden account and plan your next release.

FAQ

Do I need a release plan for a single?

Yes. A single has the same deadlines as an album: distributor delivery, the Spotify pitch, the pre-save and release day. The plan is shorter, not optional.

How far ahead should I start planning a release?

Six to eight weeks before release day is comfortable for a single. Four weeks still leaves time to deliver, pitch and start a pre-save. Under two weeks, deliver right away and plan the first weeks after release.

What should a release plan include?

A release date, a goal, and dated milestones with an owner each: the master and artwork, metadata and delivery, the pitch, the announcement and pre-save, release day, and the first weeks after.

Why did my song get no streams after release?

Often because nothing was lined up: no pitch, no pre-save, no content ready for release week. A plan doesn't guarantee streams, but it makes sure the song isn't released into silence.