| 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
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)?"
