If you’re an artist, then you know how exciting it can be to put out new music. Whether it’s your debut single or the follow-up to your breakout hit, releasing new music is always a momentous occasion. But while it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of finally putting a song out into the world, it’s important to know there are a number of things to do beforehand.

Hi, I’m Ben from Live Aspect and in this post, I’ll be revealing the 7 things all artists need to do before releasing music to the world. Completing these things before dropping your song will make sure it has the best chance of success.

• 1. Get Some Feedback
• 2. Test Out Your Song Live
• 3. Master Your Song
• 4. Find A Good Cover Art
• 5. Decide How & Where You Want To Release It
• 6. Set A Release Date
• 7. Promote Your Release Across Social Media

Without further ado, let’s dive in!

1. Get Some Feedback

Before releasing your song to the public, make sure it’s heard by a fresh set of ears. Getting feedback from others who can be honest is key to getting your song sounding as good as possible before its release.

You should always get someone else’s opinion on your song before releasing it, and that person can be anyone: a friend or family member, a fellow musician, an online community like Reddit etc.

Once people have heard and reacted to your work, take notes on what they liked and didn’t like about it. Gather feedback from real listeners and evaluate what changes need to be made based on that feedback.

2. Test Out Your Song Live

The best way to get an idea of how your song is going to be received by listeners is to try it out live. If you’re a performer and have an upcoming live gig, try slipping your unreleased track into your set to see how an audience reacts. This step is used to see how receptive people are towards your new material before you release it to the world.

Playing your song live is not only fun but it’s also a great way to get feedback from your audience. If you notice something isn’t resonating with people during this process, don’t be afraid to make changes. If the crowd goes wild for the track, then it’s likely that it will be well received when released.

3. Master Your Song

Mastering a song is the final step in the creation process. Mastering makes your music sound crisp, clear and polished and makes it ready for distribution. Mastering engineers use compression, EQ, limiting and a variety of other tools to achieve this goal. A good mastering engineer will be able to bring out the best in your song.

If you’re planning on releasing your music onto streaming platforms like iTunes or Spotify, mastering your track will also ensure that it sounds consistent with the other songs on those platforms. Although mastering services may cost you between $50 and $200, investing in this step is the best way to ensure that your music sounds good on different speaker systems.

4. Find A Good Cover Art

Cover art is something that many artists don’t pay much attention to, but it’s actually very important. It’s the first thing audiences will see when they discover your track, so it’s crucial that you put as much care into the cover art as you put into the song itself.

Select or create a cover art that you feel represents the genre of your song, as well as the tone and emotions conveyed. The cover art should be a visual representation of the song, something that’s relevant to what it sounds like and makes people want to listen to it.

5. Decide How & Where You Want To Release It

There are many different ways you can distribute your song online so take some time to decide which streaming platforms and online music stores you want your song to be uploaded to. The most common streaming services artists upload music to are Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud. Popular online music stores include iTunes, Beatport and Bandcamp.

If you decide to release your song through a record label, traditionally, they will upload it to streaming platforms and online music stores on your behalf. Although they will likely take a cut of any streaming royalties and sales, record labels make the process of distributing your song much easier, as well as promote it to a large audience.

6. Set A Release Date

Setting a release date is an important step in releasing a song. Whether it’s a few weeks or a number of months, setting a release date will ensure you have plenty of time to promote your track and hype up its release.

When choosing your release date, think about how much time you will need to make sure everything is set up as planned. Setting a release date also helps keep you focused on finishing the project at hand and gives you a deadline to work towards.

This step can be especially helpful if you’re working with other artists on the project. This way you will all know exactly when the song will be released so that you can make sure everything falls into place by then.

7. Promote Your Release Across Social Media

The final and most important step is to promote your song. Promoting your release across social media is a great way to reach your fans and get them excited about your upcoming release. Consider using Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to promote your track.

Whether you decide to tease your fans with a sneak preview or set up a Spotify pre-save campaign, there are many ways to promote an upcoming release. Make sure you have a solid plan for how you are going to market your new song before you finally release it.

Want To Know More?

Here at Live Aspects, we have dozens of useful lessons and tutorials created to enhance your music production skills and help speed up the learning process. You can access our huge range of music theory lessons and production tips and tricks here.