Release day is an exciting time - new music is about to be unveiled to your fans!
Posts have to be prepared, mailers need to be built and it can be difficult to remember every single step with all the excitement.
So, we have created this Music Release Checklist, providing a list of Openstage resources and short guides to help prepare you for release day!
Checklist
Add new release to Music Catalog
Create a Pre-save Broadcast
Create a Stream Page
Create an ‘Out Now’ mailer
1. Add release to Music Catalog
First, add your release to the Music Catalog. Items can be added to the Music Catalog before the release date - for more, see our full guide.
Adding the new item allows you to create your Pre-save Broadcast and Stream Page for the new release.
⚠️ Please note: The closer you are to the release date of your music, the more likely our system will find your music straight away.
Not all DSPs receive and have music ready simultaneously. You may need to come back and 'refresh' the item in the Music Catalog ahead of your release date.
Some items may not appear here until the last 24 hours before release.
2. Create a Pre-save Broadcast
Once the item has been added to the Music Catalog, you can create a Pre-save Broadcast and schedule it for release day.
Your pre-save broadcast will push the new release to the library of every fan with a valid pre-save on your account.
For more on Pre-save Broadcasts, check out our guide.
⚠️ Please note: If the item hasn’t cleared in the Music Catalog, your Pre-save Broadcast won’t send.
3. Create a Stream Page
Once an item has been added to the Music Catalog, you can create a Stream Page.
The stream page is the place to host all your DSP and store links for the new release.
Stream pages can be created for any item in the Music Catalog, but artwork and DSP links may not appear until the item has been released and/or cleared on DSPs.
For more on Stream Pages, here’s the full guide.
4. Create an ‘Out Now’ mailer
Now that your music is available on DSPs, it’s time to tell your fans!
Your mailer can be prepared in advance and scheduled for your chosen time on release day. Your mailer should include:
A link to the Stream Page for fans to hear the new music
A link to your store to purchase the new release
Any relevant merch links
Any relevant ticket links
💪 Top Tip: Retarget non-openers at a later time.
Once your mailer has gone out, fans will have an opportunity to interact and ride the wave of excitement with you. Depending on when you’ve announced your new music, your announcement email may be lost in the melee of other emails a fan might receive.
For this reason, we recommend re-targeting non-openers on the evening of your release day, or on the following day to ensure they don’t miss out!
To re-target, either select re-target in the top right of the window for the completed broadcast, or build an audience of fans that haven’t opened the announcement broadcast in the Audience Builder.
For more on email broadcasts, see how to message your fans via email.