Table of Contents
Drop the Album First—Then Roll It Out
If you’re an independent artist working with a real-world budget, your best move is to release the album fast. Don’t waste time or ad dollars promoting singles that lead nowhere. Once your full project is live, every video, ad, and piece of content has one goal: send fans to the full experience. The earlier it’s live, the more ROI you get from every click and view.
Tip: Release first. Roll out after. Let your campaign build over months—not hype for one day.
Pre-Release Checklist (Step-by-Step)
- Finalize track list
- Finalize album art
- Organize and store stems and studio sessions in drive
- Finalize WAV files, name correctly, store in drive
- Create clean, dirty, instrumental and acapella mp3s, store in drive
- Add metadata and cover art to mp3s
- Create album DJ MP3 pack and download link
- Submit album to distributor at least five weeks in advance to maximize playlist pitching opportunities
- Finalize writer, producer and collaborator legal agreements
- Finalize writer/composer splits for publishing
- Retrieve and store ISRC, ISWC and UPC codes
- Register each song with your PRO for performance royalties
- Register each song with Soundexchange for digital radio royalties
- Register each song with The MLC for digital mechanical royalties
- Register each song with Harry Fox Agency for mechanical royalties
- Register each song with the publishing administrator of your choice
- Verify Spotify profile and bring down duplicate profiles
- Verify Apple profile
- Verify YouTube channel and bring down Topic channels
- Secure collaborator access with all guest artists and producers
- Secure advertiser access to all guest artist and producer Meta audiences
- Plan and order physical merchandise
- Add Shopify to Spotify
- Create artist website and install Meta tracking pixel (more on that here)
- Shoot new press pics
- Update artist bio
- Create album smartlink
- Create music videos
- Create official lyric videos
- Create visualizers
- Create vertical videos
- Create YouTube official album upload (more on that here)
- Update all avatars, banners, bios, homepages and playlists across all platforms
- Add all lyrics to Spotify & Instagram (more on that here)
Post-Release Strategy: Build the Wall of Activity
Your goal now is a “wall of activity”—nonstop motion and visibility around the album. Use consistent content drops to surround your audience and stretch your campaign over time.
- Drop 1 music video per month for 4–5 months
- Use vertical video (shot on phones) for weekly Reels, Shorts, TikToks
- Behind-the-scenes content = for fans
- Short-form vertical content = for new audience discovery
- All ads point back to the full album or flagship video
Target the Right People
- Define your custom audience: location, culture, genre, lifestyle
- Build a reachable audience of 2–5 million real people
- Run Meta and YouTube ads targeted to this exact segment
- Track what hits—double down and refine weekly
Physicals, Merch & Revenue Strategy
- Start with small runs of vinyl, CDs, or shirts
- Only order more when the first batch sells out
- Sync ads to merch drops—especially with guest artist audiences
- Use Bandcamp if your current shop isn’t smooth
- Plan for sync licensing. Make sure you have clean versions, no uncleared samples, and metadata ready if a licensing opportunity shows up
- Don’t tour until the numbers show clear demand
Turn Your Album Into an Era
This isn’t about release day. It’s about the months that follow. A smart rollout means stretching your budget, tapping into collaborators’ audiences, and surrounding the right people with the right content at the right time. Drop fast. Grow smart. Build momentum that lasts.
360 Promo is a full-service music marketing, promotion, distribution and admin company. Learn more about us and what we do at 360promo.fm, follow us on Instagram at @360promo and contact us to tailor a plan that works for you.