release-prep

name	release-prep
description	Release-day prep: master target, distribution metadata, artwork specs, ISRC, label deliverables, promo plan, schedule. Use when the user says "I'm releasing this", "prep this for distribution", "what does Distrokid / Spotify for Artists / Beatport need", "/release", "master for streaming", "mastering checklist", or is shipping a track. Defaults to electronic-music release workflow.

Release Prep

A release is a checklist. Miss an item and the label or DSP bounces it back two days before drop.

Phase 0: Decide the target

Ask in one question if not given:

• Streaming-only (Spotify / Apple / Tidal): master to −14 to −12 LUFS-i, −1.0 dBTP
• Club / DJ-first (Beatport / Traxsource): master to −9 to −7 LUFS-i, −0.8 dBTP
• Both: deliver two masters with the same artistic intent, different loudness

Phase 1: Final master checklist

• Integrated LUFS hits target ±0.5 dB
• True peak ≤ ceiling, no inter-sample peaks (check with ffmpeg ebur128=peak=true)
• Mono compatibility: bass and sub mono < 120 Hz
• No DC offset (sox stat → DC offset 0.000)
• No clicks at start/end (top + tail with fade-in / fade-out < 30 ms each)
• Fade-out length is musical (last bar plus reverb tail, not abrupt)
• 24-bit / project SR WAV master + 16-bit / 44.1 dithered for CD-quality
• Clean 30-second preview clip for socials (best 30 s of the drop)
• Instrumental version (vocal-out) if vocals exist
• Radio edit < 3:30 if a radio plan exists

Phase 2: Metadata package

Required for every DSP / distributor:

Field	Value
Title
Artist (primary)
Artist (featured)
Remixer
Label
Catalog #
Genre / Subgenre	(Beatport list: get exact spelling)
BPM	(one decimal, e.g. 124.0)
Key	(Camelot + Western: e.g. 8A / A minor)
Composer (publishing)	(legal name)
Producer	(credited name)
Mix engineer
Mastering engineer
ISRC	(label assigns; or distributor auto-generates)
UPC / EAN	(distributor)
P-line	(© 2026 Label Name)
C-line	(© 2026 Label Name)
Release date
Pre-save date
Language of lyrics
Explicit	yes / no / clean
Spotify Canvas	1080×1920 mp4, 3-8 sec
Spotify Artist bio updated	yes/no

Save this metadata sheet as ~/Music/Producer/releases/<title>_metadata.md and upload to Google Drive at Producer/Releases/<title>/.

Phase 3: Artwork specs

Where	Spec
DSPs (universal)	3000×3000 px, RGB, JPG or PNG, < 10 MB
Beatport	1400×1400 min, square
Spotify Canvas	1080×1920 vertical video, 3-8 s, MP4
Apple Music motion artwork	1080×1080 or 1920×1080, < 100 MB, MP4
Instagram square	1080×1080
Instagram story / reel	1080×1920
YouTube thumbnail	1280×720

Verify the master artwork is 300 dpi, RGB (not CMYK), no transparency, embedded color profile. Run identify -verbose artwork.jpg | rg -i "(geometry|colorspace|profile)" to confirm.

Phase 4: Promo plan + schedule

Use Google Calendar to lock the timeline:

• Release date −28: final master locked, sent to label
• Release date −21: distributor upload, pre-save link live
• Release date −14: first promo post + Canvas live
• Release date −7: second promo post, DJ promo pool live, Beatport pre-order
• Release date −1: final post, story countdown
• Release date 0: release day post, story link, "out now" everywhere
• Release date +7: first-week analytics screenshot post

Create those as recurring calendar events with reminders the day before each one.

Phase 5: Distribution & promo

Distribution platforms to consider (electronic-music releases):

• Beatport / Traxsource: DJ-first, often via label
• Spotify / Apple Music / Tidal / Amazon: via DistroKid, Symphonic, Stem, Amuse, label
• SoundCloud Premier: for SC monetization
• Bandcamp: direct-to-fan, highest margin
• DJ pools: DMS, Direct Music Service, Beatport Promo, etc. (for industry DJs)

Promo email drafts (Gmail):

• Tastemaker DJs (with private SoundCloud / WeTransfer link, BPM, key, release date)
• Radio (BBC R1 Dance, Rinse, etc.)
• Blog editors

For each draft, lead with the one sentence that makes this record different, then the BPM/key/drop date, then the private link.

Connectors

• Google Drive: upload final master + metadata + artwork
• Gmail: draft promo / label / engineer emails
• Google Calendar: schedule the −28 / −21 / −14 / −7 / −1 / 0 milestones
• Spotify: create_playlist for the pre-save playlist and a "Inspired By" companion playlist
• Canva: search-designs / import-design-from-url for cover art templates and motion / lyric video assets
• Ableton MCP: drive the final master export

After

"Want me to (a) schedule the full release timeline in Calendar, (b) draft promo emails for the top 10 DJs (Gmail), (c) build a pre-save companion playlist on Spotify, (d) draft cover art templates in Canva, or (e) double-check the final master against the LUFS target (mix-coach)?"