When is the best time to release music?

That’s one of the questions we hear most often at Syntax Creative. The short answer is: whenever you want.

But the better question isn’t really when. It’s why.

If you have a good reason for a particular release date, great. If you’re simply trying to get the music out as fast as possible, slowing down may give it a much better chance.

Give your release eight weeks

If you’re looking for the best possible results, we recommend giving us at least eight weeks from the time we receive everything we need.

That gives us more time for marketing, playlist opportunities and editorial support.

We’ll need the music, artwork and metadata. Metadata is the information attached to a release, such as the artist name, song title, contributors and release date.

Once everything is ready, we deliver the release to the digital service providers (DSPs). Those are services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Eight weeks is not a technical requirement for putting music online. It’s the amount of time we recommend if you want us to have the best opportunity to actually work the release.

Why eight weeks?

Because everybody involved has a calendar.

We need time to properly set up the release, understand the story and prepare the marketing. We also need time to start conversations with editors at the DSPs and others who may be able to support it.

Those editors are not sitting around waiting for your upload. They have their own schedules, deadlines and release calendars.

The more time we give them, the better chance they have to consider your music while making those decisions.

Every day you take away from that eight-week window can reduce the opportunities available to the release.

Can we work with less time? Of course.

But being able to deliver music quickly and giving a release the best opportunity are two different things.

There are good reasons to move faster

Sometimes a shorter timeline makes perfect sense.

Maybe you just landed a major television performance. A tour opportunity could have come together unexpectedly. Or something may be happening around the artist that gives the music a reason to come out right now.

If there is a compelling reason for the date, we’ll work with it.

But if the only reason is, “The song is finished and I want it out,” I would ask what you gain by rushing.

The music is probably not going to spoil.

Lead time gives your marketing somewhere to go

There is another practical reason to get the music delivered early. You can actually start building the release campaign.

Once the DSPs have the release information, you can start setting up pre-save links, smart links and other parts of the campaign.

A pre-save lets a fan save upcoming music before it is released. A smart link gives fans one page where they can choose their preferred music service.

Now, when you start talking about the music, fans actually have somewhere to go.

That is why we recommend delivering the music before you start heavily promoting it. Erin goes deeper into that in our Academy article on why you shouldn’t promote a release before submitting it for distribution.

If you announce a release before your distributor even has it, you’re starting the clock before the rest of your team can do much to help you.

Release dates are also strategic

Lead time gives your distributor a chance to look at what else is happening around the date you chose.

Say you’re a bluegrass artist and several major bluegrass releases are already coming out that week. Moving one week earlier or later might give your project a little more room to breathe.

That doesn’t mean there is some magical Friday with no competition. There isn’t.

It simply means the date should be part of the strategy rather than the first decision you make.

Ultimately, you are the boss

It’s your music, your career and your decision.

Our job is to tell you what we’ve learned from doing this for a long time. Syntax has been working in digital music since 1997.

In our experience, artists and labels who plan ahead generally give themselves more opportunities than those trying to rush something out the door.

So before you ask, “How soon can I release my music?” ask yourself, “Why am I releasing it on this date?”

If there’s a strong reason, let’s roll.

If there isn’t, give the release some room. Eight weeks of patience before the release is a lot easier than wishing you had eight more weeks after it comes out.