Creating a Waterfall Release

What is a Waterfall Release?

A 'Waterfall Release' is when, instead of releasing an entire album in one go, you release it in stages. You do this by creating a sequence of releases, with each new release containing more tracks than the release before and with a later release date. The final release in the sequence will be the full album with the complete tracklist.

The most common method is to start the sequence by creating a release with one track and then adding a new track to each additional release until the entire album is available online. As an example, using this method for a five track release, the release schedule would look something like this:

Release 1 : Track 1.

Release 2 : Track 1, Track 2.

Release 3 : Track 1, Track 2, Track 3.

Release 4 : Track 1, Track 2, Track 3, Track 4.

Release 5 : Track 1, Track 2, Track 3, Track 4, Track 5.

Of course, you don't have to release the tracks in the same order that they will appear on the final version of album. You also don't have to only add one extra track to each new release.

Below you can find the steps for setting up a Waterfall Release with MusicHub. By following these steps you will ensure that when you are adding the same track to different versions of the release, the track will always have the same ISRC and so will be able to collect and display the same streaming data across all the releases.

How do I set up a Waterfall Release on MusicHub.

Step 1: First release in the sequence

For the first release in the sequence, you simply create a new release. If you are unsure of how to do this with MusicHub, here is a helpful video tutorial: https://intercom.help/music-hub/en/articles/5352440-musichub-release-guide-tutorial

Step 2: Second release in the sequence

For the second release in the sequence, when it comes to adding the tracks that were included in the previous release, you do so by clicking here:

Note: You can only add an existing track to second release when the first release that it is on has either been approved or is live on the streaming platforms. It usually takes 2-3 days (excluding weekends) for a release to be approved.

You can then add any new tracks and complete the release setup. Make sure also to enter a release date that is after the first release date of the previous release in the sequence.

Step 3: The rest of the releases in the sequence

For all subsequent releases in the sequence, simply repeat Step 2.

Things to keep in mind when creating a Waterfall Release.

What are the benefits of a Waterfall Release?

Using the Waterfall Release method can be useful in that it allows you to promote each track on the album separately, thus giving the whole album a much longer promotional campaign.

For example, you can only pitch one track per release to the Spotify Editorial Team via Spotify for Artist. But by using the Waterfall method, each new version of the release will allow you to pitch the new track that has been added.

Losing Playlist Placements

On the majority of streaming platforms, tracks are identified primarily by the release that they are part of. Even if a release has only one track, that track is still seen as being part of a release. In order to delete any track, the release that it is part of must be deleted. Similarly, when a release is deleted all the tracks that are part of that release are deleted too.

When creating a Waterfall Release, at times you will have more than one version of the same track live on the streaming platforms. Each version of the track will be connected to a different release in the Waterfall series. When you delete an earlier release from a Waterfall series, the versions of the tracks on that release are deleted too. However, if any of those tracks have been placed on playlists, those placements will be lost when the release is deleted.

Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to prevent this. The only solution is to simply not delete the previous release in the series.

Tracks Might Disappear from Instagram

An exception to the rule of tracks being identified by their release is on Instagram. Instagram do not pay that much attention to the release that a track is part of. Instead, they identify tracks primarily by the track's ISRC (International Standard Recording Code).

An ISRC is the unique code used to identify individual, unique recordings. If you did not enter your own ISRCs for your tracks when you submitted your release with MusicHub, then our system will have automatically assigned each track a new ISRCs. These ISRCs can be found in both the release and track details. Once a track has been submitted with MusicHub, it is no longer possible to change its ISRC. So no matter now many further releases you add a track to, the ISRC will remain the same.

However, because Instagram identify tracks according to their ISRC (as opposed to the release that the track is a part of), when you delete an earlier version of a release from a Waterfall series this could result in all versions of the track linked to a specific ISRC being deleted. This happens because, typically, deleting an older release in a Waterfall series only happens after the latest release in the Waterfall is live on the streaming platforms, all the new versions of a track(s) will have the same ISRCs as the earlier versions.

However, should this happen the solution is very simple: inform the MusicHub Customer Support team and we will resend the release to Instagram. Your tracks should then be available again within 48 hours.