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Alexandre Baumont

Head Of Marketing - Wiseband

6 May, 2021

What is the best day to release a song?

A. What is the best day to release a song?

For starters, if all the world’s most famous artists schedule their music releases on a Friday, it’s not by chance. Did you know that all labels release their new music on a Friday? Again, this is not a coincidence.

Let’s mention that the Billboard (charts that reflect the success of the most popular musical titles and albums in the United States) compiles its rankings for the week starting on Friday. Therefore, posting on a Friday will be the most profitable way to increase your chances of appearing at the top of the Billboard charts. There is also the SNEP, the equivalent of BillBoard in France, which also compiles the same day.

Historically, album releases were staggered. Monday in France, Tuesday in the United States or Wednesday in Japan. The problem was that consumers were frustrated. A fan living in another country could listen several days before the others to the album he was waiting for.

Especially since this did not facilitate the promotion for the artists and even less to fight against the piracy of the albums. As a result, distributors and record companies have almost unanimously chosen a worldwide release date.

Anyway, you still want to play Tarantino by releasing your music on a Wednesday like in the movies? Then you should know that only Wednesdays and Thursdays will be counted in the Billboard charts. Assuming you choose Wednesday, you’re at a big disadvantage. 

Therefore, instead of having 7 days to increase your rank, you will only have two. For example, if your goal is the number 1 spot in the billboard, Wednesday is a good shot in the foot. That’s why all labels launch on Friday and not on a Wednesday. 

Note that nowadays, it is not as difficult as it used to be to appear in the Billboard charts. Especially if you play a style that is not traditional like jazz or Moldavian songs. Rap being, without a doubt, the genre most impacted by Friday.

B. But then, how do you get your music out on a Friday?

Be reassured, it’s very simple. It’s a lot easier than filling out your tax form. When releasing a song to your distributor, find out where to set the release date and make sure you choose a date that falls on a Friday. Note that most independent artists choose to release their music as soon as possible. 

Therefore, you guessed it, this is a big mistake. In this process, once your distributor sends your music to the platforms, it will immediately go live when the platform processes your content. And this is regardless of the time. So you may find yourself releasing your music on a Monday morning…  

Especially since not all platforms take the same amount of time to put your content online. The launch of your content can be spread over several days if you do not choose a fixed date

For example, a Monday on Apple Music, a Tuesday on Deezer, a Wednesday on Spotify and a Thursday on Amazon. So, you’ll have understood, it’s not relevant and it’s not what you want to become the new hit of the summer and dethrone Major Lazer.

However, you should know that Spotify is implementing “New Music Friday” playlists. Every Friday, this playlist allows you to discover the latest releases of Friday (again that damn Friday). So that all the artists can discover their latest nuggets. 

You want to integrate this playlist for your next song or even other official playlists? No worries, Wiseband tells you more right here.

C. Set a fixed date to a Friday.

From now on, there’s no need to explain the whys and wherefores. Placing your release on a Friday is the smartest choice, especially if you are a developing artist. And if you want to become the king of oil, you can even choose a Friday further away

Indeed, this will allow you to take time to set up a pre-order campaign on Bandcamp or even better. Put in pre-order on our own Wiseband store, right here

But that said, you can also set up  pre-saves  campaigns on Spotify, Deezer or Apple Music. Since all your fans who have pre-recorded your music will be able to access it immediately.

That’s why it’s important to methodically plan and coordinate your next releases several weeks in advance. And yes, you can imagine that Michael Jackson’s team did not release these songs overnight without any preparation. 

Work in advance is more than necessary to increase your chances of success. Moreover, the Wiseband team advises you to organize your outing at least a month and a half in advance. This is the time needed to create a plan of action that will hold up and thus increase your chances of achieving a flawless performance on your next outing.

For example, you can share on networks posts (especially Instagram) to help track the release of your next piece. Secondly, in the last week of your communication plan, you can plan a more robust and intense promotion to put a good boost in the days leading up to your release. All in all, you get the idea. Friday is a golden day to release all your upcoming projects and put all the chances on your side.

To further polish your music before the big release, consider exploring the vast collection of music production tools available at SoundShockAudio.

Finally, it should be noted that in order to pitch properly to the official playlist curators, it is also necessary to go out on a Friday. Indeed, they receive so many requests that you have to respect their process.

At the moment only Spotify For Artists allows you to pitch live, if you do, don’t forget all the previous information 😉 

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