“Everything AFTER the music…”

Want your release to a be a success? Then you need much more than mastered music files.

There are a number of big-picture and nitty-gritty things you’ll want to prepare before you launch your next single or album into the world.

In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, we talk through the whole checklist.

To skip right to a particular section, just hit the timestamp corresponding to:

00:00 INTRO
05:24 What else you need once the music is mixed & mastered
07:17 Making a music release checklist
08:44 Defining your priority goal and budget for this music release
15:09 Music file formats, cloud storage, and private sharing
18:07 Formatted lyrics
19:14 Variations of your artist image
20:25 Good artist photos, album art, social imagery
25:32 A consistent brand and style guidelines
28:43 Building a world around your music
29:49 Dialing in your artist story
31:43 UPC, ISRCs, RIYL (what other artists do you sound like?)
36:26 The essential components of your web presence
38:48 Getting fans’ contact info with a lead magnet
41:27 Have one good live video
44:30 Getting press, playlist placements, and audience attention
47:06 Music promo tools to simplify your life
49:20 A checklist on its own won’t drive success
51:37 Listener calls and emails
51:55 How to use Spotify’s notes field when pitching
55:48 How to write a great music pitch or ad copy
57:44 Expanding the gender demographics of your fanbase
01:06:30 Kickstarer vs pre-orders
01:11:14 Final Thoughts