Let’s talk

Album Release Marketing: A Guide From Real Campaigns

Alex Moura Co-Founder and CEO of Digital Star Marketing · Updated
Todd Snider in a patchwork shirt in front of a patchwork quilt

Use this guide to plan an album release from the first announcement through the months after release day: what to set up first, when to open pre-orders, what to send and when, and how to keep the record selling after it comes out. It comes from 13 years of campaigns I've planned and run in music, for Todd Snider, The Band of Heathens, Hayes & The Heathens, Hard Working Americans and KIMOCK, and each chapter explains the decisions behind them.

How does an album release campaign work?

The five stages of an album campaign on one timeline: announcement, pre-orders open, final reminder, release day and after release.
The five stages of an album campaign: announce the album, open pre-orders, send a final reminder before they close, ask fans to listen on release day, then keep promoting to new listeners.

A campaign moves through five stages. Each one asks fans for something different, so the message changes as the release gets closer.

  1. Before the announcement, grow email subscribers and set up a welcome series. A welcome series is a short set of automatic emails that introduces each new subscriber to the artist and the music. People who join before the news are the first to hear it, directly from the band. This is also when you set up the rights, the distributor and a release page on the artist's own website. Chapters: the release checklist, comment-to-subscribe and a release page on your own site.
  2. The announcement opens the pre-order. Plan the singles, emails, ads and store offers together, so each new song gives fans a reason to hear about the record again. Offer a few bundles at different prices with an honest ship date, and put the most ad money where fans can act. Chapters: the rollout, bundles and the ad budget.
  3. The final pre-order reminder is essential. The last email and the ads that run with it give fans a real reason to order before release day. On Todd Snider's last three albums, the final pre-order push outsold release day every time. Don't skip it. Chapters: the last chance email and email that sounds like the band.
  4. Release day focuses on listening. Change every link to "out now," point fans to the music and ask them to follow the artist. The store stays open, but the main message is the record itself.
  5. Keep promoting after release. People keep finding the record for weeks and months, and a new listener can become a buyer later. Keep the ads, the posts and the emails going, sell tickets show by show and give the biggest fans a way to support the band every month. Chapters: Spotify followers, tour ads, Patreon and one album launch from start to finish.

The album release checklist

Use it to plan the work before, during and after release. Download the checklist (PDF, 1 page) to print or share with the band.

  1. 01

    Before you announce the album

    • Grow email subscribers and set up a welcome series: automatic emails that introduce new subscribers to the artist and the music.
    • Prepare your website page and store for the release.
  2. 02

    Singles and pre-orders

    • Give each single its own email, posts and ads.
    • Open pre-orders for records and bundles in your store.
    • Pitch one song to Spotify at least 7 days before release (2 weeks is recommended) and to Apple Music at least 10 days before.
  3. 03

    The last-chance pre-order push

    • Confirm the last order date with whoever ships the records.
    • Send the last-chance email and matching ads. This push is essential.
  4. 04

    Release day: lead with listening

    • Send fans to the music. Update links, profiles, pinned posts and ads.
    • Keep records and merchandise easy to find.
  5. 05

    After release: keep promoting

    • Keep sharing performances, song stories and fan responses.
    • Review listeners, new email subscribers, sales and stock.

A first listen can lead to a later purchase. People who discover the music after release day may still buy the record, merchandise or tickets. Keep the store easy to find.

Where should you start?

Plan your album release

Download the marketing plan and one-page checklist to work through your announcement, pre-orders, release day and the weeks that follow.

Download the marketing plan Download the release checklist

PDF, 9 pages · Checklist: PDF, 1 page

The first two pages of the Album Release Marketing Plan: the four priorities and the release schedule. The one-page album release checklist, five stages from before the announcement to after release.
  1. Chapter 1 How to Release Music Independently: A US Release Checklist Every step to release a song or album in the US, in order: the rights that pay you, how to pick a distributor, the pitch deadlines and what to do the week it comes out.
  2. Chapter 2 Album Rollout Strategy: Plan for Listening and Pre-Orders Put the singles, emails, ads, store offers and the final pre-order cutoff on one calendar, so the album builds for listeners and buyers at the same time. Here are the real schedules behind it.
  3. Chapter 3 Comment-to-Subscribe for Musicians: Build Your Email List Before the First Single Before announcing the first single, invite fans who already engage with the artist to join the email list. A teaser post and a short DM flow give you a way to contact them directly when the news is ready.
  4. Chapter 4 Smart Link Pages for Musicians: Build Them on Your Own Site and Sell the Merch I build release pages on the artist's own website, with the video, the store, every listen link, a signup and the merch in one place. Here is the layout we built for Todd Snider.
  5. Chapter 5 How I Budget an Album Campaign How I budget an album campaign, one decision at a time: what each line is for, who it reaches, what fans can buy that week, how much goes where, how to measure it and when to move the money.
  6. Chapter 6 Pre-Order Bundle Ideas: Name Your Tiers and Sell the Ship Date Real pre-order tiers and shipping cutoffs from album campaigns we ran, and how to build bundles that give fans a clear reason to spend more.
  7. Chapter 7 The Last Chance to Pre-Order Email: How Musicians Sell the Most Records Before Release Day The last chance to pre-order email and the ads that run with it are the biggest sales push of a release. Then release day turns to listening. Here is how we set it up for Todd Snider.
  8. Chapter 8 Email Marketing for Musicians: Sound Like the Band A band's email should sound like the people making the music. Real list and store numbers from The Band of Heathens, the welcome email we used for Todd Snider, and the give, give, sell, sell rhythm I plan releases around.
  9. Chapter 9 How to Turn Spotify Listeners Into Followers A follow gives fans another way to hear your next release, because Spotify puts new music from artists they follow in their Release Radar. Here's the follow campaign we ran for The Band of Heathens' Stranger in 2020, the schedule, and the steps to copy.
  10. Chapter 10 Album Launch Marketing: How We Launched Hayes & The Heathens and Sold Out the Vinyl How we launched a co-headline album from Hayes Carll and The Band of Heathens: an artist-owned Shopify site, video ads, Spotify campaigns, and a limited vinyl that sold out.
  11. Chapter 11 How to Promote a Tour With Facebook Ads, Show by Show Run every show as its own campaign with its own budget and deadline. Here's how we budgeted shows from 2015 to 2024, and the 30/25/5-day schedule from KIMOCK's 2017 tour as an example to adapt.
  12. Chapter 12 What We Learned Building The Band of Heathens' Patreon The case history of The Band of Heathens' Patreon launch in 2021, what it does and doesn't show, and the plan I'd propose to a band launching one now.

Need help planning your release?

Tell us about the record, your release date and what you need help with.

Discuss your release
Alex Moura
Written by

Alex Moura

Alex Moura runs Digital Star Marketing. He plans and runs release, tour and online store campaigns for independent musicians, in-house and as a consultant, and does the creative and the campaign work himself: strategy, ads, tour support, music videos and artwork.

He started at Bob Weir's TRI Studios in San Rafael, California, where he helped produce episodes of Weir Here and worked on albums by Jerry Joseph, Steve Kimock and Hard Working Americans. Since then he has worked with AEG Presents, Live Nation, festivals and venues. Over more than a decade with Todd Snider: 24+ album releases, three albums in the Top 50, 118,000+ subscribers and over $1M in direct merch sales. He has also worked with Hard Working Americans, The Band of Heathens, Hayes & The Heathens and KIMOCK. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, People, Variety and Grammy.com.

LinkedIn

Related articles

All articles

Let’s talk about better results.

If you’re ready to grow your business, we’re ready to be your partner. Request a call with our CEO today.

Gordy Quist

“They’re family to us. Over our last 5 albums, they’ve created exceptional promotional websites and shattered sales records for us every time. Our investments with them have been invaluable in elevating our career.”

Gordy Quist
The Band Of Heathens