How to Build a 90-Day Music Release Campaign
A 90-day release campaign timeline for independent artists, covering preparation, launch, and post-release decisions without rushing the work into release week.
The short answer
A 90-day release campaign gives the team time to finish rights cleanup, delivery, positioning, assets, pitching, content, audience testing, launch week, and post-release follow-up. The first month clarifies the release, the second builds assets and outreach, the third launches and adapts. The timeline should create better decisions, not pressure every artist into the same rollout.
Three things to know
- 01
A 90-day campaign works because release work starts before public promotion: rights, metadata, positioning, assets, and profile readiness need time.
- 02
The campaign should have phases with decision points, not one long list of posts that all depend on release day.
- 03
Post-release work is part of the plan. Reporting, content refreshes, pitching follow-up, and next-release learning should be scheduled before launch.
What does a 90-day release timeline look like?
Use this as a planning frame, then adjust for distributor deadlines, team size, budget, and the type of release.
- 1
Days 90 to 61
Confirm rights, goals, audience, release type, budget, timeline, creative direction, and who owns each campaign lane.
- 2
Days 60 to 31
Build artwork, short-form clips, EPK, pitch copy, profile updates, landing pages, outreach lists, and reporting setup.
- 3
Days 30 to 8
Deliver the release, submit available platform pitches, start story-led content, test assets, and confirm launch week.
- 4
Release week
Check links, publish launch assets, activate core fans, monitor response, and keep the message clear.
- 5
Days 8 to 30 after
Review evidence, refresh content, follow up on pitches, adjust spend, and decide whether to extend or move on.
What should happen 90 days before release?
At roughly 90 days out, define the release goal, confirm the song or tracklist, settle splits, identify the audience, and decide whether the campaign needs outside help. This is the time to choose the core story and pressure-test the timeline. If the team cannot explain who the release is for, why it matters now, and what assets it needs, public promotion will probably feel scattered later.
How should artists use the 60-day window?
Around 60 days out, the team should move from strategy into production. Finish artwork, short-form clips, photos, EPK materials, pitch copy, smartlinks, landing pages, and profile updates. This is also the right window to map press targets, creator ideas, playlist context, ad tests, and owned fan communication. The goal is to remove bottlenecks before the song needs daily attention.
What should happen 30 days before release?
Thirty days out, the release should be delivered, links should be tested as they become available, and the content calendar should be active. Submit platform pitches where available, begin the strongest story-led posts, confirm outreach lists, and prepare launch-week assets. If the artist is using paid promotion, define the test budget, target audience, creative variations, and review date before the spend begins.
How should launch week be organized?
Launch week should be controlled and specific. Check links, post the strongest announcement, email or message core fans, update bios, respond to comments, share context, and monitor early data. Avoid trying to do every campaign idea in one day. A good launch week creates enough signal to decide what gets extended: the best clip, the best audience, the strongest press angle, or the clearest listener behavior.
What happens after the first week?
After the first week, move from announcement mode to evidence mode. Review saves, follows, playlist adds, content performance, smartlink clicks, ad results, press replies, and qualitative fan response. Refresh creative, follow up with relevant contacts, test a new angle, or shift effort toward the next release. The release is still alive if the team has a credible reason to keep creating and pitching around it.
When should the team shorten or extend the campaign?
Shorten the campaign when the release has no fresh angle, weak response, or a better next release is ready. Extend it when listener behavior, social response, press interest, creator activity, or live opportunities justify more work. The calendar should not become a trap. It should help the team make a disciplined decision about whether to keep pushing, change the message, or document learning.
What should be ready before the campaign goes public?
These pieces reduce last-minute pressure and make the release easier to judge.
- 01
Rights and credits
Splits, contributors, master ownership, samples, featured artists, and artwork permissions are confirmed.
- 02
Campaign story
The team can explain the listener, emotional hook, artist context, and reason to care now.
- 03
Asset library
Artwork, photos, vertical clips, captions, EPK copy, canvas options, and ad-ready variants are organized.
- 04
Outreach plan
Playlist, publicity, creator, fan, and partner lists are prioritized by fit rather than copied from a generic database.
- 05
Review rhythm
The team has reporting dates and decision rules for content, ads, pitching, and post-release follow-up.
How this guide uses evidence
Practical notes
- The timeline reflects current platform and campaign realities: delivery, pitching, profile updates, short-form content, and reporting all need lead time.
- The guide treats 90 days as a useful planning frame, not a rule that every artist must follow regardless of resources or release type.
Source notes
- Spotify for Artists release guidance recommends early playlist pitching before release, which supports building delivery and pitch windows into the timeline.
- Existing Velveteen Records guide coverage on release dates, upload checklists, EPKs, PR timelines, and post-release reporting informs the internal workflow structure.
Frequently asked questions
- Do all artists need 90 days for a release campaign?
- No. Some releases can move faster, but 90 days gives small teams enough room to fix rights, assets, pitching, content, and follow-up.
- Can a 90-day plan work for a single?
- Yes. A single still needs positioning, assets, delivery, platform readiness, content, outreach, launch activity, and post-release decisions.
- What if the song is already uploaded?
- Use the remaining time to tighten profiles, links, pitch copy, content, fan communication, and post-release reporting instead of restarting the whole campaign.
- Should paid promotion start before release day?
- It depends on the goal, assets, budget, and tracking. Some teams test creative before release, while others wait for live links and early listener signals.
- When should an artist move on to the next release?
- Move on when there is no strong new angle, no useful response to extend, and the next release has a clearer campaign opportunity.