If you’re ready to publish your new music, there’s a good chance you might be trying to figure out the best day to release music.
In this post, we’ll examine this issue from several angles to ensure you maximize the opportunity.
First, let me address something…
Why do so Many Release Dates Coincide with One Another?
If you’ve been watching music release schedules for a while, then you probably noticed something odd…
Namely that a lot of new releases drop on the same day at the same time.
What you may not know is the existence of a little something called Global Release Day.
Up until 2015, Global Release Day happened on Tuesdays. Now it happens on Fridays.
Now you know why so much new music floods the market at the same time.
Does This Mean I Should Launch My Music on a Friday?
Not necessarily.
See, releasing on a Friday gives pop artists the opportunity to maximize their chart potential.
This is because Billboard tracks sales from Friday to Thursday. Clearly, record labels want their artists to be tracked for a full cycle instead of starting in the middle of it.
If you think your music has charting potential (please be honest here), then maybe releasing on a Friday makes sense.
Otherwise, you’re just going to end up competing with the glut of new material that’s released on the same day. That won’t give you much of an opportunity to stand out.
But I Thought You Said…
Yes, in an earlier blog post on issuing your release, I did talk about releasing on Global Release Day.
It’s a sensible approach if you’re thinking about standardizing your releases and applying some project management basics to it.
Many artists tend to overthink the process. I was merely offering a bit of guidance to simplify matters. Better to act than sit on your hands.
Strategically, it might make sense to release on another day.
So, When is the Best Day to Release Music?
I could go through an extensive analysis of each day in the week and talk about why one might be better than the other.
We could even talk about why a specific month might work better for your release.
But I think that’s missing the point entirely.
The best answer to this question is – when your music is ready.
Let me explain.
I’ve seen it time and again where artists fail to map out their release schedule. They often forget to account for promotion, album artwork, CD replication, and a host of other tasks that typically need to be completed before publishing even happens.
Rushing to get it all done at the last minute is the furthest thing from strategy. And the furthest thing from strategy is hope.
Rushing to get it all done at the last minute is the furthest thing from strategy. Click To TweetOne thing I can tell you right now is that if you’ve got a holiday theme single that you want to drop on December 25 and you didn’t even bother to distribute it until December 24… good luck. It’s not going to happen.
What you want to do is give yourself a 30- to 90-day runway.
Use that time to prepare all your materials and build some buzz for your new music. Otherwise, you’re leaving a lot of opportunity on the table.
Any Other Factors Worth Considering?
There are always other factors. The question is, should you pay any heed to them?
On any given day, SOMETHING is happening. I guarantee it.
Someone is having a birthday. There’s a hockey game on. It’s going to rain.
I agree with Steve Taylor – that you don’t just pull a day out of a hat and call it “launch day.”
BUT I don’t think you should be overthinking the process either.
If you’ve given yourself a 30- to 90-day runway, then you’ve got plenty of time to build a bit of buzz.
And that’s just the beginning since you can continue to promote long after your release has dropped.
Although artists often overestimate the value of building up to a release, they also underestimate the long-tail value of a release.
Meaning this. You might not get all the publicity in the world leading up to your release. And while your new release might be “dead” to bloggers and podcasters after a month or two, that doesn’t mean you can’t do more for your release after it has come out.
You can do A LOT more with your release after it has dropped, and I would seriously recommend keeping the excitement alive after the fact.
Best Day to Release Music, Conclusion
The main takeaway in this guide is the value of strategy.
If you’ve got a plan, and you’re executing against it, it makes so much easier to optimize your efforts later.
You can’t steer a parked car. But once it’s up and running, you can course correct and navigate to your destination.
Basically, pay attention to the tactics that work. And double down on them. Then identify the things that required 80% of your effort but only produced 20% of the results and CUT those.
So, have you identified the best day to release music? Did you have any other questions regarding this matter?
Let me know in the comments below.
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