Releases happen on a Monday and major download stores ideally need to be in receipt of your release materials 6-8 weeks in advance of your chosen release date. It’s pretty easy to set up a label but if that’s one area that you don’t want to get into you can always use an aggregator like CD Baby or TuneShock to handle the release for you, where ISRC and UPC codes are provided as part of the service. If you’re self-releasing you’ll also need: Release artwork, 1200px square 300dpi jpg fileīand artwork, 360px square 300dpi jpg fileĪ metadata sheet that includes your liner notesĪ band biog for your first release and an updated onesheet (news sheet) for subsequent releases Things you’ll need for your digital release:
If you have a good, solid fan base that you can tweet to, a song can be released onto your own store the day it is completed (although it can take from four to six weeks if you’re submitting your release to the big stores) and therefore you can start generating revenue immediately. Of course one of the benefits of the immediacy of digitally releasing music is the speed at which you can have a new track up for sale. During this time you would be finalising artwork, creating promo videos, submitting to download stores, booking the launch night and subsequent tour dates, marketing the release where possible (online and offline) and creating as much of a buzz as possible prior to the release date. If you’re going to work by the book then a rough timeline from completion of album to release date would take three to six months. The main downsides to releasing your own music are the lack of advertising budget, and the time spent wearing all the hats that are required to manage your own career, things that we will delve into in more detail in future articles. It’s much harder work and you need to be very disciplined in your approach to stay on top of the workload involved but the rewards are that you retain all rights to your music and get to pocket any revenue earned.
We’re going through a DIY musical revolution similar to that of the 70s, when punk bands shunned record labels in favour of releasing on their own label names and controlling their own career paths. These days it’s so easy to manage your own career and sell your music online.
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