If you've landed on this article, you're more than likely wondering how to release a song. In the past 5 years, releasing music has drastically changed. Now it's easier than ever to release your music and to have your music heard from fans around the world.
How To Release a Song
In this article, we'll share our favorite music distributors to release your music with, how to create cover art and music promotional strategies.
Create your song or album artwork
Before releasing your song, you should have created your artwork already. Most music distributors recommend creating an image at 3,000 x 3,000 pixels. Whether you have Photoshop or some other photo editing software, we are big fans of Canva.com to create your song artwork. You can either choose to browse through their images and edit it with a number of filters, or you can look for album artwork through a website like Unsplash.com.
Sign up for a music distributor
There are many different music distributors. Each with their own pros and cons. We have chosen RouteNote to be our preferred music distributor due to its ability to do automatic splits and the ease of use. While we recommend doing your own research to see which music distributor works for you, we'll be using this guide to explain how to use Routenote.
-> Click here to head over to Routenote. When you get to Routenote, click the green Sign Up button on the top right. Once you have clicked to Sign up, Routenote gives you the option to conveniently sign up to its service with Google, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, or just your email address. When signing up, just remember to use this string of numbers in the Referral Code: 2f76a771.
Schedule your song to be released
Now that you have signed up for Routenote, hover over the Distribution tab and click on “Create New Release.” From there you will be instructed to fill out the release information including song release title, album artwork, name of the record label (or self-released), the sale start date, and pre-order date. You will also be able to choose options where to have your song released (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, etc…).
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Choose which distribution model to use
Routenote is one of the few distribution platforms that allow free distribution. If you choose the Free distribution model, Routenote will take a 15% royalty cut of your song's release. If you choose the Premium distribution model, Routenote charges $10 for singles, $20 for EPs, $30 for albums, $45 for extended albums and then $9.99 annually.
Music Promotion Strategies
Prior to your song being released, it's important to come up with a music promotion strategy, especially if you are self-releasing. It's important to focus on how much of a budget you are willing to put forth for this release.
Playlist Pitching Services
One of the best ways to get your music heard is through playlist pitching services. These services will help your music get in front of relevant listeners to hear your music.
Playlist Push
We recently published an artist about whether or not Playlist Push was legit or not. There are many pros and cons with Playlist Push. Their newly updated service will verify any suspicious activity, playlist name changes, or fake or inactive followers for the curator's playlists. While they maintain a 4/5 star rating on Trustpilot, many people have complained of their expensive price point for newer musicians with not always the best results.
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Facebook Ads
One of the best ways to promote your music is by setting up your own Facebook and Instagram ads. Create a video and showcase your music to people that may be looking for new artists like you!
FAQs
How much does it cost to produce and release a song?
The cost of releasing a song can vary greatly depending on the artist's budget and the production value of the track. For example, an unsigned artist may only need to spend a few hundred dollars on studio time, while a major label artist could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars on studio time and mastering. In addition, the cost of artwork and distribution must be considered. For an unsigned artist, these costs may be minimal, but for a major label artist, these costs can easily reach into the six figures. Ultimately, the cost of releasing a song depends on the artist's goals and budget.
How do you know if your music is good?
There is no simple answer to the question of how to tell if your music is good. However, there are a few key factors that can help you to assess the quality of your work. First and foremost, it is important to be honest with yourself. If you are not confident in your ability to produce great music, it is unlikely that anyone else will be convinced by your work either. Secondly, it is important to get feedback from impartial listeners. Ask people who are not already fans of your work to listen to your latest track and give their honest opinion. Finally, don't be afraid to experiment. Trying new things is the best way to create truly original music that stands out from the crowd. By considering these factors, you can ensure that your next release is your best yet.
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