Six-Week Single Release Calendar

What this is

A single-page planner that maps every rollout task for an indie hip-hop single across the six weeks before release, release week itself, and the two weeks after. Nine columns, one job per row, one checkbox per week. Print it, tape it above the desk, cross things off as you go.

The plan assumes a Friday release date — the industry default, and the only day Spotify's algorithm treats as new-music day. It also assumes you are running the rollout yourself with no publicist, no manager, and a working budget somewhere between $250 and $1,500. If you have more help or more money, the calendar still works; you just delegate rows instead of doing them.

What the calendar is not: a marketing strategy. It will not tell you what your song is about, who your audience is, or why anyone should care. Those questions get answered before Week -6 — during pre-production and identity work. The calendar assumes you already know. If you do not, put the release date back a month and read the branding and audience articles linked at the bottom first.

When to use it

Open the planner the day your final mix is approved. That is Week -6. Not the day recording ends — the day the mix is signed off. Everything downstream (mastering, art, distribution, pre-save, playlist pitches) is gated on a locked audio file. Starting the calendar before then almost guarantees a slipped release date, and slipping a date after you have told anyone the date is a small credibility tax you do not want to pay twice.

Common mistakes

• Booking the release date first and hoping the mix will be ready — reverse it.
• Uploading to the distributor with less than three weeks of lead time and missing the Spotify for Artists editorial window.
• Treating the "teaser phase" as one 30-second clip posted twice — a real teaser rollout is 8 to 12 pieces of short-form content.
• Turning ads on the day of release with no retargeting pool built — you are buying cold clicks at the worst price.
• Pitching independent playlists the week of release. Curators plan two to six weeks out.
• Skipping the Week +2 analytics review, then repeating the same rollout mistakes on the next single.
• Announcing the release to your existing audience only on release day — they should have seen at least three teaser posts before then.

How to use it

1. Pick a Friday at least six full weeks out. Write it in the header. That is Release Day.
2. Count backward and write the calendar date for each of the nine columns (Week -6 through Week +2).
3. Work down the rows in order — the calendar is sequenced so that upstream tasks (mastering, art) unblock downstream ones (distribution, pre-save).
4. Check the box the day the task is done, not the day you started it. Half-done tasks are the ones that slip.
5. At the end of Week -1, do a full pre-flight review: is the pre-save live, is the Spotify Canvas uploaded, are the ads scheduled, is the press embargo list finalized?
6. On Release Day, work top-to-bottom through the Release Day row in a single sitting. Do not multitask new work into that day.
7. Week +2 is not optional. Fill in the numbers, save the page, and use it as the baseline when you plan the next single.

The blank template

=========================================================================
SIX-WEEK SINGLE RELEASE CALENDAR
=========================================================================

Artist:            _______________________________
Song title:        _______________________________
Featured artists:  _______________________________
Release date:      _______________________________  (Friday)
Distributor:       _______________________________
Total budget:      $______________________________

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -6   (date: __________)   THEME: LOCK THE ASSETS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Final mix approved and signed off (no more revisions)
[ ] Mastering engineer booked; stems and reference sent
[ ] Cover art brief written and assigned to designer
[ ] ISRC and UPC generated (via distributor or ISRC agency)
[ ] Spotify for Artists playlist pitch drafted (not submitted yet)
[ ] Metadata locked: title, feature credits, songwriter splits, PRO info
[ ] Content calendar sketched for next six weeks

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -5   (date: __________)   THEME: DELIVERY WINDOW
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Master delivered — WAV, 24-bit, no clipping, LUFS in spec
[ ] Cover art approved (3000x3000, RGB, no logo bleed)
[ ] Distribution uploaded, release date set, pre-save link generated
[ ] Teaser video shoot completed (aim for 3-5 minutes of usable B-roll)
[ ] EPK / one-page press kit updated with the new single
[ ] Bio updated on Spotify, Apple Music, socials
[ ] Split sheet signed by all featured artists and producers

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -4   (date: __________)   THEME: OPEN THE PITCH WINDOW
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Spotify for Artists pitch submitted (minimum 7 days pre-release;
    4 weeks is safer — editorial teams plan ahead)
[ ] Pre-save link live and pinned on all bios
[ ] First round of independent playlist pitches sent (target 20-40)
[ ] Blog / podcast outreach — first-touch emails (target 10-20)
[ ] Teaser posts scheduled for Week -3 and Week -2
[ ] Ad account created or reactivated; pixel confirmed firing

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -3   (date: __________)   THEME: THE FIRST NOISE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Teaser #1 posted (behind-the-scenes, cover art hint, or lyric card)
[ ] Story clips daily — studio, prep, artwork detail shots
[ ] Snippet #1 on TikTok / Reels (12-15 seconds of the hook)
[ ] Ad account warmed: run a $1-3/day engagement ad to build a
    retargeting audience (video viewers 25%+)
[ ] Press outreach follow-up on Week -4 emails
[ ] Playlist pitch tracker updated (opens, replies, adds)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -2   (date: __________)   THEME: REVEAL
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Full 15-second snippet drop across TikTok, Reels, Shorts
[ ] Cover art reveal post (single image, no caption stunts)
[ ] Teaser #2 (different angle — feature reveal, producer credit,
    or one-line thesis for the song)
[ ] Playlist DM round 2 (curators who opened but did not reply)
[ ] Guest post / interview pitches sent
[ ] Confirm Spotify Canvas file rendered and uploaded (3-8 sec loop)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -1   (date: __________)   THEME: COUNTDOWN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Countdown posts every 2 days (7, 5, 3, 1)
[ ] Artist takeover video: "here's why this song matters" (60-90 sec)
[ ] Boost pre-save link in bio, stories, group chats, Discord
[ ] Ads live at low daily budget ($3-10/day), targeting the
    retargeting pool built in Weeks -3 and -2
[ ] Pre-flight check: distributor confirms live status for Friday
[ ] Draft the Release Day thread / caption / email in advance

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE DAY   (date: __________)   THEME: EXECUTE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] 12:01am (or your launch hour): announcement post live
[ ] Pre-save conversion story — thank pre-savers by handle
[ ] Spotify Canvas visible on the track page (verify on mobile)
[ ] Instagram Reel + TikTok video posted with the hook
[ ] YouTube upload if a music video is ready
[ ] Story links to Spotify, Apple, Bandcamp, YouTube in that order
[ ] Newsletter / email blast sent (single subject line, one CTA)
[ ] Group chat and Discord push (personal, one-to-one)
[ ] Ad daily budget increased 2-3x for release weekend

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK +1   (date: __________)   THEME: COMPOUND
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Boost the strongest reaction post from Release Day
[ ] Second round of press outreach, this time with proof
    (playlist adds, first-day numbers, notable listener quotes)
[ ] Music video drops (if held back from Release Day)
[ ] First live performance or IG Live listening party
[ ] User-generated content push — repost every fan clip
[ ] Continue ads; shift creative to whichever teaser converted best

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK +2   (date: __________)   THEME: LEARN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] Analytics review: Spotify for Artists (streams, saves, playlist
    adds, listener geography), TikTok / Reels views, ad ROAS
[ ] Write a one-page retro: what worked, what did not, why
[ ] Update the pitch tracker — mark which curators to keep, cut, or
    escalate for the next single
[ ] Set the next single's target release date and open a new calendar
[ ] Archive the finished planner in a "rollouts" folder for reference

Completed example

=========================================================================
SIX-WEEK SINGLE RELEASE CALENDAR
=========================================================================

Artist:            Nova James
Song title:        Freedom
Featured artists:  K. Vaughn
Release date:      Friday, October 24, 2025
Distributor:       DistroKid
Total budget:      $940

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -6  (Sept 12, 2025)   LOCK THE ASSETS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] Final "Freedom" mix approved by Nova and Meech Wells
[x] Mastering booked with Heba Kadry's assistant, delivery Sept 19
[x] Cover art brief sent to designer Sable Ortiz — reference: Roc
    Marciano's "Marcielago" cover, but daylight instead of night
[x] ISRC pulled from DistroKid; UPC to be assigned at upload
[x] Spotify pitch draft written (150 words, sonic references, mood)
[x] Metadata locked: "Freedom (feat. K. Vaughn)" — songwriter split
    60 Nova / 25 K. Vaughn / 15 Meech Wells
[x] Six-week content calendar sketched in Notion

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -5  (Sept 19, 2025)   DELIVERY WINDOW
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] Master delivered — 24-bit WAV, -9 LUFS integrated
[x] Cover art approved (three rounds of revision, final delivered Sept 22)
[x] Distributed via DistroKid, release date set to Oct 24
[x] Teaser video shot at rowhouse studio — 4 min B-roll captured
[x] EPK updated with new single, cover, and short bio
[x] Bios updated on Spotify, Apple, Instagram, TikTok
[x] Split sheet signed by Nova, K. Vaughn, Meech Wells

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -4  (Sept 26, 2025)   OPEN THE PITCH WINDOW
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] Spotify for Artists pitch submitted Sept 26 (28 days out)
[x] Pre-save link live via Feature.fm; pinned on IG and TikTok bios
[x] 34 independent playlist pitches sent (targets: NYC boom-bap,
    underground hip-hop, women in rap, indie hip-hop curator DMs)
[x] Blog outreach — first-touch to Passion of the Weiss, DJBooth,
    Bandcamp Daily, Nation of Billions, Rap Radar submissions
[x] Teaser posts scheduled in Later for Weeks -3 and -2
[x] Meta ad account reactivated; pixel confirmed on nova-james.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -3  (Oct 3, 2025)   THE FIRST NOISE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] Teaser #1 posted — cover art corner, no context, no caption
[x] Story clips daily (studio, artwork, notebook shots)
[x] TikTok snippet #1 — 14-sec loop of the hook, no on-screen text
[x] $2/day engagement ad on the teaser — built retargeting pool
    of 1,200 25%+ video viewers by end of week
[x] Follow-up email to 12 blog contacts who did not reply
[x] Pitch tracker updated — 3 playlist adds, 6 opens, 2 soft yeses

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -2  (Oct 10, 2025)   REVEAL
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] 15-second snippet drop with hook — best performing on Reels (14k)
[x] Cover art reveal Oct 12 — single image post, no gimmick caption
[x] Teaser #2 — K. Vaughn feature reveal, joint Reel from both accounts
[x] Playlist DM round 2 — 11 curators, 2 new adds confirmed
[x] Guest post pitched to Nation of Billions — accepted for release week
[x] Canvas file rendered (6-sec loop of daylight window shot); uploaded

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK -1  (Oct 17, 2025)   COUNTDOWN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] Countdown posts on Oct 17, 19, 21, 23 — each with a new visual
[x] "Why this song matters" 80-sec artist video posted Oct 20
[x] Pre-save link pushed to email list (940 subscribers), Discord (210)
[x] Ads live at $8/day, retargeting the Week -3 video-viewer pool
[x] DistroKid confirmed live status for Oct 24
[x] Release Day thread and IG caption pre-written and saved

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
RELEASE DAY  (Friday Oct 24, 2025)   EXECUTE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] 8:00am announcement post — Spotify link first
[x] Pre-save thank-you story — 42 handles tagged
[x] Canvas visible on mobile Spotify by 9:15am
[x] IG Reel and TikTok posted at 10am — hook + daylight visual
[x] YouTube audio-only video uploaded (video coming Week +1)
[x] Newsletter sent 12pm — subject: "Freedom is out" — one CTA
[x] Group chat + Discord push, one-to-one — 60+ personal sends
[x] Ad budget bumped to $25/day for the weekend

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK +1  (Oct 27, 2025)   COMPOUND
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] Boosted the strongest Reel from Release Day ($40 over 3 days)
[x] Second press push with proof — 2 new blog covers secured
[x] Music video dropped Oct 30 — 1:1 rooftop performance
[x] IG Live listening room Oct 29 — 380 concurrent
[x] Reposted 22 fan clips; DM'd every one
[x] Ads shifted to the top-performing snippet from Week -2

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEK +2  (Nov 3, 2025)   LEARN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[x] Spotify for Artists: 41,200 streams, 3,100 saves, 6 playlist adds,
    top cities Baltimore / NYC / Philly / London
[x] TikTok: 220k combined views on Freedom-tagged content
[x] Ad ROAS 1.9x on the retargeting audience; 0.4x on cold — kill cold
[x] Retro: reveal week overperformed; countdown week underperformed
    (too many countdown posts, not enough substance)
[x] Curator cut list: 14 non-openers dropped from next pitch
[x] Next single "Interest" target date: Friday, January 30, 2026
[x] Planner archived to rollouts/2025-freedom.pdf

Related SongBattle reading

• The Six-Week Single Rollout
• How to Get Your Rap Music Heard in 2026
• Indie Hip-Hop Distributor Guide 2026
• Artist Identity and Branding for Rappers
• Funding Your Music Career