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3 months Pre-release: Text

3-months Pre-Release

First and foremost, make sure any legal matters are all tied up and copyrights are registered. And don’t forget to have agreements with band members and for-hire players.

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1. Choose Or Register With Your Performing Rights Organization.

You probably already know this but just in case – to collect your royalties you’ll need to sign with both a Performing Rights Organization (“PRO” for short) and SoundExchange for your mechanical and performing rights royalties. The options for PRO’s are SOCAN, CMRRA, ASCAP, SESAC, and BMI if you’re located in Canada or the US.

 

For live performing royalties (in venue or on-line), CMRRA, BMI and ASCAP both offer portals to collect royalties from playing live. Once your songs are registered on the PRO database, you log in and enter any dates you have performed those songs, where they were performed, and which songs. The PRO companies payout quarterly so be sure to enter the performances soon after they are through, otherwise, you could miss a deadline!

 

If you have any questions and/or require help registering your works, CLICK HERE to set up a consultation today!

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2. Document the Recording & Creation Journey For Your Fans

What may feel mundane to you – writing, recording, mixing, mastering, being in the studio, etc. – can be really exciting for your fans. Taking them on a behind-the-scenes journey of this music release is a great way to form a stronger bond with your current and growing fanbase.

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Send updates on how the recording, mixing and mastering is going using videos and photos via your socials, plus capture longer-form stories for Instagram Stories and for your newsletter.

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Engage with your following on milestones like artwork and song titles by polling your fans and holding contests to select what cover or title to go with, have your fans weigh in on photos, graphics and get them involved with the process. The goal of all this activity is to get people excited so they are engaging and sharing your updates.

 

For further assistance with your social media goals and plans CLICK HERE to set up a consultation.

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3. Create Your PR & Marketing Plans

A big component when releasing new music is getting PR. You can accomplish this by hiring a team or by going the DIY route. When hiring a PR team make sure you DO YOUR HOMEWORK and make sure your music is a good fit for that firm’s approach and philosophy. Be sure that the team talks to you about their well-thought-out plan for your campaign.

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A PR company should work with you to make sure you are fully prepared before you are introduced to the press. This is the first part of their job when you engage a firm.

 

If you’re going with a do-it-yourself approach, here are some tips for an effective music PR campaign:

Recommended Publicity Campaign Lead Times:

  • National Campaign – 3-4 months before release

  • Tour Press Campaign – 4-6 weeks before the shows

  • Online Campaign – 4-6 weeks before placements will start to happen

  • Premiere – These can take time.  (offering a blog exclusive content (i.e. a track, music video, EP stream) in advance of its release)

    • (Placement = blog post, feature article, review, calendar listing, podcast/ online radio interview, etc.)

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To secure a PR team, CLICK HERE to create a PR & Marketing package that will WOW any PR into working with you!

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4. CREATE YOUR PLAYLIST PLAN!

Submit Your Music Directly to Spotify

Simply sign into your artist account (or Spotify Analytics if you are a label) and choose your best song. When submitting, take extra time to give a detailed description of the song. Supply any and all relevant information about the song to easily guide editors to the best placement for your music.

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Build Your Own Playlisting Initiatives

If you don’t know all the steps to set up a playlist, follow this STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE. Start building and sharing playlists. You need to build up plays as this impacts the current song that you are promoting, as well as any forthcoming singles. Use interesting titles and themes to grab people’s attention to aid with search.

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Find Playlist Curators & Pitch

This is, of course, easier said than done! It is not easy to find curators, but it is possible with some dedication. Google and all the Socials are great places to start. CLICK HERE to speak to a MOD about how to find a Playlist Curator.

 

There are also quite a few on SUBMIT HUB that you can access for a small fee.

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