What To Do After Your Music Release: Music Distribution Checklist – 31 Tips

Keep Promoting After Your Music Release – With Fans, Through Social Media & Content Generation

1. Repost content related to your release

2. Maintain engagement on all social platforms with regards to the release

3. Continue to get feedback from friends and family

4. Make sure that you direct the new people you meet, to the right links

5. Give fans a behind the scenes look on how the song was made, how cover art was produced etc. 

6. Share milestones related to play counts and views

7. Share show and tour announcements

8. Share information on merchandise

9. Reward and acknowledge fans for their support

10. Share the music of other artists you support who may have also released new music recently

Secret Sauce

If all you talk about on your social platforms is yourself then your fans may get a bit annoyed. It is always good practice to mix up the type of content you are putting out to showcase things outside of your own music and a great way to do that is to put the spotlight on others. Often when you pay it forward like this the support comes back around as well.

11. Review your analytics and other data to see what is working and what isn’t. Are you on track to reaching your goals?

12. See if other creatives will put their own spin on your release. Dancers who could come up with a routine to your music, painters or cartoonists who will make art work related to your release, etc.

13. Keep performing and doing shows but do not over do it especially in your own city

14. Make sure to highlight new releases at shows and tell people where they can find your music

15. Share video footage from your shows and events

16. Get involved in the community and volunteer your time to a cause that aligns with your music or brand.

17. Highlight and publicly thank everyone who helped you and was a part of the production of your release

Keep The Momentum Going – With Music Creation

18. Highlight and promote other supporting content like music videos, lyric videos, behind the scenes footage, interviews etc. 

19. Keep collaborating with other artists

20. Ask people to remix your release

Sometimes the remix can gain more traction than the original.

21. See if other artists from other genres will do covers of your song

22. If you’re comfortable, release the earlier or extended versions of your tracks

23. If you planned ahead and already have other music ready to release this is a perfect time to start the process of promotion to keep the momentum going

24. Do cover songs of other artists music

Keep The Momentum Going – With Press & Outreach

25. Always be sure to personally and publicly thank anyone who gave you press coverage and share on social media. 

26. Keep casually engaging with your press contacts, bloggers, playlisters, artists and others on social media and at events. Strengthen the relationship

27. Keep pushing your release to obtain even more press

28. Look into placements on the publishing and licensing side of things

29. Seek out more shows, events or tours that you can be a part of. Apply to play at festivals where there is already a built in audience. 

30. Update your EPK and bio to include any new assets you have created or press you have received

31. Keep sending the odd update to your email list and keep them engaged

Final Thoughts on What To Do after your music release

Momentum is your best friend in this game. Do whatever it takes to hold onto it and allow it to propel you to newer heights. If you put the work in to prepare well in advance, you set yourself up for a much better faith on both current and future releases.