Release Date Planner

Spotify's official guidance says to deliver your music at least 7 days before its release date so editors have time to listen. Pitching at least 7 days out also puts the song on your followers' Release Radar. Most teams pitch 2 to 4 weeks out to give editors more listening time; earlier is never penalized. Source verified 2026-07-11 against Spotify's support documentation.

Distributor guidance is a range, not a rule: CD Baby recommends at least 3 weeks in advance and calls 4 to 6 weeks ideal, and most major distributors publish similar 2 to 4 week recommendations. Actual store delivery usually takes 2 to 7 business days, but early upload is what unlocks the Spotify editorial pitch window and pre-save links, so the buffer matters more than delivery speed.

No. Friday is the industry convention because New Music Friday and most editorial refreshes happen then, and you get a full weekend of listening. The tradeoff is that Friday is the most crowded release day. A mid-week release faces less same-day competition but misses the Friday editorial cycle. The planner shows the tradeoffs for whatever day you pick; neither choice is wrong.

On Bandcamp Fridays, Bandcamp waives its revenue share for 24 hours (midnight to midnight Pacific Time), so artists keep more of every sale. There are 8 announced dates in 2026. If your release lands on or shortly before one, you can push a fresh release into the fee-waived window. The planner flags exact collisions and dates within two weeks before an event.

Five milestones plus release day: press and blog outreach start (2 to 6 weeks out), distributor upload (3 to 4 weeks out), recommended Spotify editorial pitch (2 to 4 weeks out), pre-save campaign launch (2 to 3 weeks out), and the final 7-day Spotify pitch deadline. Each milestone shows its source, and every date exports to your calendar as an .ics file.

Yes. The .ics download includes all milestones plus release day as all-day events, works with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook, and requires no email or signup.

No. Pitching on time keeps you eligible for editorial consideration and secures Release Radar placement for your followers, but editorial placement itself is never guaranteed by anyone. Anyone selling guaranteed editorial placement is misrepresenting how the system works.