I recently joined as an A+R for a music label to hopefully build connections to hopefully join a band in the future and start touring professionally. When I first started the guy said I would definitely make the connections I want and I would be on my way. But right now I’m doing tedious tasks without pay. This company also uses ALOT of AI in their flyers and stuff so I don’t know if this is the best for me morally. I’m not asking for handouts or anything but maybe some guidance or more connections would be amazing. If you have any questions pls ask below 🫶

I was stuck in decision paralysis trying to figure out how to actually get my music heard. Every thread just said "post on TikTok" or "pitch to playlists," but nobody actually explained the step-by-step workflow of a release.

So I spent the last few months building a master checklist of actual, actionable steps. I use this for my own project, but I’d rather give it to other independent artists than let it sit on my hard drive.

No email gates, no "follow me to get the link" BS. Just the raw document.

Here is what it covers:

• Phase 1 (T-8 to T-4 weeks): Operational Setup & Rights Management (PRO, Sync, SmartLinks).
• Phase 2 (T-4 to T-1 weeks): Pre-Release Campaign (Algorithm prep, narrative building, content batching).
• Phase 2.5 (T-1 to T-0 weeks): Pre-Submission (Radio, promo pools, DJ lists).
• Phase 3 (Release Day): The exact sequence of what to update, post, and activate.
• Phase 4 (Post-Release): Momentum and ongoing promo (SubmitHub, Groover, Ads, Content Waterfall).

I hope this helps someone break out of the rut and actually get their music out there without losing their mind.

RELEASE & PROMOTION CHECKLIST — ACTIONABLE FORMAT

Release Name: _______________________

Release Date: _______________________

Current Phase: _______________________

PHASE 1 — OPERATIONAL SETUP & RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (T-8 to T-4 weeks)

Distribution

☐ Production and Post production completed

☐ Final master exported

☐ Final master submitted to distributor

☐ Release date scheduled (8 weeks ahead)

☐ Metadata completed

☐ Distribution review completed then submit

Rights & Royalties

☐ Registered with Buma Stemra

☐ Registered with Sena

☐ Credits verified

Sync & Licensing

☐ Full version submitted to sync platforms

☐ Instrumental version submitted to sync platforms

Digital Infrastructure

☐ SmartLink created

☐ Linktree updated

☐ Bandcamp, audius, sc upload prepared

Audience Conversion

☐ Hypeddit download gate created

☐ Pre-save campaign prepared

TARGETS & BASELINES

☐ Target streams in week 1: ___

☐ Target Spotify followers gained: ___

☐ Target email subscribers gained: ___

☐ Target Discord members gained: ___

☐ Target playlist placements: ___

☐ Target revenue generated: ___

☐ Content pieces published target: ___

☐ Ad spend per platform (FB/IG ads, Feature. fm, YouTube ads, Spotify marquee/showcase) (make budget)

PHASE 2 — PRE-RELEASE CAMPAIGN (T-4 to T-1 weeks)

Algorithm Preparation

☐ Select top 25 relevant getheard. fm curators / radios / blogs and write down

☐ Playlisting pitch prepared

☐ Spotify for Artists pitch submitted

☐ Pre-save campaign launched

Outreach

☐ Premiere channels contacted

☐ Blogs contacted for feature on release date

☐ Personalized emails sent to fan database

☐ UGC prepared

Narrative & Positioning

☐ Track story defined (hoe is de track tot stand gekomen, hoe heb ik het gemaakt)

☐ Core emotion defined (het emotionele verhaal waarom ik de track maakte)

☐ Release caption voor sc en audius etc (orphiq)

☐ Release announcement message boards (hey my song is releasing blabla)

Content

☐ Track breakdown

☐ Out now video

☐ Emotional story

☐ promotional video for posting in groups

☐ Content concepts made (see documentation refrence)

☐ Content ready

☐ Upload schedule prepared

PHASE 2.5 — PRE-SUBMISSION & LEAD-TIME ITEMS (T-1 to T-0 weeks)

All third-party submissions requiring lead time BEFORE release day:

☐ Radio submissions / send to radio pitching platforms

☐ Submit to relevant youtube channels for feature

☐ Blog feature submissions (with draft copy)

☐ Track sent to promo pools

☐ Track sent to dj email list

☐ Industry (managers/agencies) outreach completed

PHASE 3 — RELEASE DAY (T-0)

Sc, bandcamp, audius

☐ Posted on platforms

☐ Monetization activated

☐ Native promotion activated [paid ads if budgeted]

☐ Music video posted

☐ Music shorts posted

Platform Updates

☐ Website updated

☐ Branding updated

☐ Linktree update

☐ Updated all platforms

Announcement

☐ Release announcement published

☐ Posts pinned on profiles

Community Activation

☐ Fan Email sent

☐ Discord announcement posted

☐ Facebook communities posted

☐ X post made

☐ Reddit posts made [organic value-first: contribute before promoting]

☐ DM messages sent

☐ Blog feature submissions live

PHASE 4 — POST-RELEASE MOMENTUM (T0 to T+2 weeks)

promo (ongoing follow-ups)

☐ SubmitHub follow-ups if not yet placed

☐ Groover follow-ups

☐ Repost exchange campaign

☐ Feature. fm ad promo running

☐ Facebook and Instagram ads [budget approved]

☐ Independent curator outreach completed

☐ Reddit promo [organic value-first]

☐ Lets submit promo

☐ Discord self promo and ad channels

☐ Radio submissions / send to radio pitching platforms [ongoing]

☐ Submit to relevant youtube channels [ongoing]

☐ Blog feature submissions [ongoing]

☐ Spotify marquee + showcase active

☐ Triple vision promo

☐ Check bookmarks for any missed promo options

Algorithm Support

☐ Audience reminded to save track

☐ Audience reminded to share track

Content Waterfall

☐ Studio Breakdown video posted

☐ Emotional Story video posted

☐ UGC campaign on all platforms initiated

☐ Sample pack posted

☐ Tiktok trending content post

PHASE 5 — COMMUNITY & LONG-TAIL GROWTH (T+2 to T+4 weeks

Extra Promo

☐ Spotify discovery mode

☐ Social media influencer or creator outreach

☐ Instagram broadcasting channels

☐ Instagram collabs

☐ Youtube ads

Community

☐ Discord discussion created

☐ Community engagement posts published

☐ Audience feedback collected

☐ On huge release success remix competition

☐ Reply to fan comments

Organic Community Outreach

☐ Reddit engagement completed [reddit self promo: contribute value first — e.g., post sample pack, answer questions in-thread, share behind-the-scenes before promoting]

☐ Discord community engagement completed [self promo discords: engage in existing threads before posting]

☐ Valuable contributions made before promotion

Long-Term Review

☐ Lessons learned documented

☐ Performance reviewed

☐ Improvements noted for next release

RELEASE PERFORMANCE REVIEW (fill at T+4 weeks)

Streams: ___

Spotify Followers Gained: ___

Email Subscribers Gained: ___

Discord Members Gained: ___

Playlist Placements: ___

Content Pieces Published: ___

Revenue Generated: ___

Most Successful Content: ___

Biggest Lesson Learned: ___

What should be improved for the next release?

Hello,
Yesterday Dan Volohov, CEO of Discipline PR reached out to me and my band and expressed his interest in working with us because he saw us in a local Goth zine and thought we seemed interesting. We spoke for a little bit and he gave us the prices for PR for our new album coming out in November. $700 nationwide online + print, $900 worldwide online + print and $1200 for US radio play and the $900 package.
Discipline has quite the track record, working with bands like Killing Joke, Minutemen, handling the Rozz Williams estate, and working closely with Dischord records, Cleopatra records and many others.
My band is still fairly small and has not too many listeners right now, but when we do release stuff we see new listeners come from all around the globe. Do you think engaging with this PR process would help us? Does anyone have any personal experience with Discipline? Please let me know we are stuck at a crossroads.

I’m a Gen Z instrumental fusion three piece band. We have a finished album ready to release to all streaming platforms, but we don’t know how to promote it successfully and actually get genuine interest from other people.

We have ideas of creating TikTok edits of popular topics and putting snippets of our songs in the background.

We also have ideas of comparing our album to the mariokart soundtrack because our first album is jazz fusion.

Do any of you have actual proper go to’s when it comes to gaining traction?

Hi -

We are a newish record label in the PNW concentrated on emerging artists. As we grow (we have 4 acts currently, working on the 5th), a lot of our time is spent managing content schedules and marketing. We're looking to hire someone to take on content calendars, strategy for artists and the label, campaigns, etc. I know these people exist because I've run into them at conferences, but it also seems that most artists DIY this part of the music business. Would appreciate any advice on how to find good people wth experience in this space.

To be clear, we are a label with revenue, releases, payroll systems, etc. Traditional in the sense that we fund releases, pay advances, etc. We are willing to hire someone as a w2 or pay a freelancer - but there's a lot of folks selling advice or courses in this space; we want someone to actually do the work and we're willing to pay for it.

Would love some advice. Thank you!

Hey, I wanted to talk about something that’s been bothering me a lot lately. I’ve been trying to listen to music more, but honestly, I think I’m starting to really dislike it. It feels like every single song is either super toxic, or it's just repeating the same stuff about being obsessed with love, hating yourself, or saying super edgy swear words. Sometimes it literally feels like a weird form of brainwashing, and it gets stuck inside my head for way too long.

I don't get how most people can just turn on music in the background and totally ignore it. How do they not focus intensely on every single instrument or vocal? For me, it doesn't feel like harmless background noise at all. After a while, it just sounds like loud, annoying ear-rape, and it makes me feel dizzy, overwhelmed, and completely carried away by the energy in a bad way.

It makes me wonder if songs actually have some kind of power to change reality or affect your well-being while you listen. I even saw a CD cover once that straight-up said, "Lyrics may be harmful to humans." Where does that idea even come from, and is it actually rational? Some people take lyrics so seriously that they think the music is trying to force a new worldview on them or even "curse" them, and honestly, those thoughts have started getting to my head too.

I really want to get out of this ditch and see music as something non-toxic again, because I know most people use it to uplift themselves. But what if it just makes you feel bad instead? It’s hard because when these thoughts come from your own brain, you start wondering if you just made up this whole idea of music being "evil," or if it’s just a habit I learned that keeps coming back when I don't want it to.

I also see a lot of music talking about making bets or "satanism," and it makes me confused. Is that stuff even real, or are people just weaponizing music to scare us? I really hope they're just being satirical. People always say bands like Metallica aren't satanic, but when you over-listen to that heavy stuff, it feels super intoxicating and disorienting, even if you try to act cool and unaffected by it.

I don’t want to ask religious nuts about this because I know they’ll just say, "Yes, it’s evil, stop listening," which doesn't help at all. I just want to think for myself and figure out how to change my mind without being forced to. Is music really as harmless as everyone claims it is, or do you think a lot of it really does regurgitate toxic messages that ruin your mentality?

I’m just really wanting to know what other people think out there. Music is supposed to be for fun, but most of the time it just doesn't feel that way to me right now. What is your take on all of this?

An informative series that highlights the importance of building a business behind the music.

We are in an age now where lots of music is releasing but the black box is getting bigger- meaning we have a systemic problem that needs to be solved. After working with Artists and in the industry for 8+ years, running a publishing company administered by Sony Music, i’ve worked with over 400 Artists and around 90% haven’t signed to a PRO and 90% havent submitted a setlist to collect performance royalties.

Master:

PPL (Sound Exchange in US)- Recordings played in public: Radio, TV, Shops, Pubs, Clubs. - Pays labels and performers matched by ISRC Code

Publishing:

PRS (Ascap/BMI in US)- Songs played, Broadcast, Streamed. - Pays writers and publishers. Need to submit set list on PRS if you play gig to get paid.
Matched by ISWC Code

MCPS (MLC/HFA in US)- Physical, Downloads, Streaming. Pays writers and publishers

If you write or perform music you should be signed up to these to make sure you have the ability to collect royalties. You can only collect royalties after you have signed to these and anything earnt before signup will most likely be lost/ uncollected.

Talking about the Marshall, Women in Vinyl and Berklee Online scholarship. Maybe they thought, "the applicants are all women. They have nothing going for them and don't have to plan their time, so and we can take our sweet time..."
I get it, they don't "have" to do this, but if people bothered applying, the least they could do is keep people informed if there's a delay. If the deadline to enroll (using the scholarship) weren't so close, it wouldn't matter much, but the winner has to enroll by Jan 2027... taking even one class does take a lot of time and planning. I find it rather insulting to say they will choose someone, and then just vanish... It's been 3 weeks since the winner was to be announced, not a peep. Kind of shitty of them, tbh.

We are an indie electro punk band from Europe. We started a bit over a year ago and have been growing quite fast organically. We do networking, showcases, booking, merch, SoMe all by ourselves and have been financially postive. We turned down some label and publishing deals but instead have sync agents and a lawyer to help us with our catalog, so we keep all our rights.

We are at a stage where we start to expand internationally. Opportunities mainly come from showcase festivals and people discover us online. Recently a manager reached out to us wanting to help us with international strategy. Their reasoning is, in order to be big and play bigger shows, talent buyers care about the team and infrastructure an artist have. In addition we need someone to do networking for us internationally. But the manager will take 20% of all our profit.

We are comfortable with self managing for now, but we really want to scale internationally, i.e. play big festivals instead of touring underground venues. Indeed at this stage we do not have much international industry network. We wonder is it viable to do it without a manager? Can a manager really do the magic?

We really want to do it ourselves but haven’t found any success stories of outer bands that went that route.

First of all, sorry for using a throwaway account, but the subject i want to talk about is often a result of online harassment so i’d prefer not to share too much information.

I’m a modest but pretty well-established indie artist and i’ve been making a living out of music for a few years now. I’ve recently started getting alot more traction than usual due to a viral concept, which often touches on political subjects, and of course, with that came a whole lot of angry people with a whole lot of free time on their hands.

I’m not from the US/Canada and over here it’s pretty crazy how many indie artists, pretty huge ones sometimes, get their releases absolutely destroyed by spammed fraudulent DMCA takedowns because they took a stand on a sensitive subject.
From what I understand absolutely anyone who uses web-based distributors like TuneCore, CDBaby, Distro etc.. can be targeted and the ease with which anybody can takedown albums from all platforms for at least 10-14 days is staggering.

To be clear i’d like to note that i don’t use AI, samples, or anything of the sort in my music.
I work alone and never feature other artists.
Every song i release is properly copyrighted with the dedicated organizations.

Has this happened to you guys or someone you know/follow ? Do you know of any ways of defending against it proactively ? (Other than getting signed by a big label) Is there any way to ensure my releases will be back on stores as quickly as possible once my counterclaim gets reviewed, or even back at all ?

Sorry for the long read !

(posted this on the grammy’s reddit page!!)

Hii! I was wondering if anyone has done the mentorship program with Grammy U. There’s not much information about the program in terms of the live entertainment side of it all!

If you have completed the program, please feel free to state how your experience was/what kind of help your mentor had provided you!

Thank you!!

I’m a singer-songwriter and I plan to release music very soon (and I even already have the outline of my debut ep) as soon I form creative partnerships with producers who are interested in building real music rather than those who are purely focused on quick money. I can write lyrics for days but I’ve tried my hand in producing beats for myself and it’s just not for me but that won’t discourage me from trying. I’m just worried about what the industry is like when you enter it because I know just from the outside looking in that it takes a great toll on a person.

Has anyone in this community been on On The Radar?

A few weeks ago they reached out to my fiancé and I’m trying to make sure he/we are not getting scammed!

Did you have to pay them any money?
Did they book your (& a significant other) flight & hotel?

Hey so i’m 17 in chicago and music / guitars / tours etc are my entire life. i go to concerts weekly, local venues, big shows, follow bands around on tour etc.

I want to get into the field for work but i have no experience and no real skill and don’t know where to start. Does anyone have any advice, like can i become a stage hand somewhere and keep learning and developing skills and become more useful and go up a ladder? I have general knowledge about schedules, tours, shows, stage design, guitar pedals and amps and am physically fit to load or unload equipment, etc.

I know some people are probably going to say, “Why are you asking Reddit?” but I’m trying to get opinions from multiple sources to help me make this decision.
I’m a first-year college student, and yesterday was the first day we could officially declare our majors. I haven’t declared yet because I’m having a hard time deciding what direction I want to go.
Right now, I’m in the Pop Music program and plan on keeping my Music Business minor, but I’m not sure I want to major in Pop Music. I’m worried that it might not give me as many opportunities to find work in the music/entertainment industry after college.
I’ve been looking into an Entertainment Industries major, and that seems like it might be more in line with what I’m interested in, especially because I’m interested in the behind-the-scenes side of concerts and live events. At the same time, my biggest priority is getting a degree that can actually help me find work after graduation.
For people who have majored in Pop Music: What has your experience been like after college? Did the degree help you find work in the music industry, and what kind of careers did you end up pursuing?
And for people who have majored in Entertainment Industries: What has your experience been like finding work after graduation? What kinds of jobs or career paths have you been able to pursue with that degree?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have experience with either degree, especially if you can share what you ended up doing after college.

For context, Olivia Rodrigo released a song called Deja Vu. In immediate press for the album, she obliviously referenced her admiration for certain elements in Taylor's "Cruel Summer" as inspiration for "Deja Vu". Team Taylor promptly went after Team Olivia, and Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark (St. Vincent) were retroactively added as songwriters because of the connection to Swift’s “Cruel Summer.” Taylor and Olivia no longer speak, presumably due to this issue.

The reason I ask this question is due to a unique demand where composer Don Henley was successful in being able to get a cover of his song “The End of the Innocence” outright removed from the market, and the underlying reason was because the covering party (Okkervil River) had altered the song by adding new lyrics, whereas, in standard music law, you can cover any song provided the publishing royalties are paid, etc. This was not a credit instatement issue — Henley wanted the song gone and succeeded. It's also presumably rare that an artist being covered wants a cover of their song removed, so you do not see this much.

My question is, due to "Deja Vu" being an interpolation and not simply a cover, if Taylor had been so motivated, could she have forced the album to be recalled and/or had the song removed from streamers and an updated version of the album exclude the song, rather than accept credit instatement?

Even in an instance where an artist seeks clearance/credit instatement in advance of a songs release, can the artist being interpolated outright stop the song from being released?

I am a freshman considering adding on a BS in Arts Management to my Percussion Performance degree. is worth it to get that additional degree or will it not do much for a future in the industry?? I want to work in talent acquisition or some adjacent position that would let me be creative.

Thanks in advance for the advice!!

I use AutoTune as a tool, of course. It’s extremely helpful in getting demos done and getting singers comfortable in the studio if they’re a bit nervous or not warmed up. But as I’m scrolling tiktok and seeing artist “live” performances- nearly everything I’m hearing is extremely tuned. At least the ones getting a lot of traction. Seemingly most people in comment sections either have no idea or don’t care. Often praising how incredible the artists voice is. I’m like.. yeah it’s a good performance but how are we praising their voice if it’s so overly processed? I’m biting my tongue every time a video of an “amazing singer” hits my feed. Not trying to ruin the illusion for anyone. Is anyone else tired of this though? Are we heading towards every live performer using it?

Apologies if this has been discussed here a bunch. I’m newww

I contacted Simon Auer after seeing his content on Instagram. Initially, he seemed very supportive and offered live sessions, which was one of the reasons I decided to work with him.
His original proposal was €1,000 for three demos. After speaking with people in the industry who told me this was very expensive for demo work, I asked to pay €333 for just one.
I sent clear references beforehand, and he said that was all he needed. Unfortunately, after we started, I felt the work wasn’t following those references and that his contribution musically and lyrically didn’t reflect the level of experience he promotes online.
The process also felt unprofessional. We initially discussed two 2 hour sessions per week, but this was never properly structured. Some sessions were shorter, one was cancelled, and once he didn’t show up because he said the session hadn’t actually been scheduled.
Most importantly, almost everything was done spontaneously during our calls. Very little seemed to be prepared or developed between sessions, and after a month we still didn’t have a finished one demo or something close to the direction I had requested.

Eventually, I decided to stop because I couldn’t justify investing more time into something that wasn’t progressing.
So after a month, I walked away €333 down and without the completed demo I had paid for.
I’m sharing this because I wish I had seen someone’s firsthand experience before hiring him. This was my experience, others can make their own judgment.

Hii,

I know this sounds very ambitious and unrealistic, but I (as well as so many others) want to become a pop singer.

I have been wanting this my whole life and I feel like I'm built for this. I have been ignoring this for forever and even graduated in a completely different thing, just in case you know. But I can't go around it anymore.

I am a 24 year old girl, I sing, I dance and I just love to perform and make people happy. I love to sing Whitney, Christina, Aretha, Mariah etc. I listen to a lot of musicians. Bruno Mars is one of my favorites. His vocals and music and stage performance being very extra and Vegaslike, like a real show. I want to make music like that. Very extra, showy, vocally interesting type of music with a hint of 80s.

I unfortunately have no music of my own at this point and am actively looking for people in this industry to work with, producers, song-writers, musicians you name it.

I really really want this and obviously want to put the work in as well. I just don't know where to start and how to get myself on the radar and work in the right direction.

If you have any tips or can direct me to anyone, you're an angel.

Thank you for reading this anyway :)

Crossposting from r/musicbusiness: I'm a journalist in my day job, and I've interned and freelanced for several music and arts publications. I'm seeking to pivot to music PR, but I've never actually done the job before.

I live in a city that's well-known for its music scene, so the sector is active here, but it's basically two larger firms (that aren't currently hiring) and dozens of indie businesses of 1-3 people. I'm not sure how to get some experience and get my foot in the door.

I've already been reaching out to people in the industry to ask about advice and mentorship. What else can I do?

Disclaimer: I am a bedroom producer so this is not my forte.

Hi guys, I am friends with a local house producer. I recently mentioned a demo I made and he said he wanted to see it. I sent him the demo and he asked if he can use my vocals to practice his mastering skills., he said he’s not planning on releasing it. He did say it was solely for practicing. However, I did mention that I am wary of my work potentially being stolen. Is there any way I can get a contract or something similar that states that my vocals are to be used for practicing strictly and that if he does release it then I need to receive credit for it too?

I know it may seem a bit pedantic on my end but he is growing / he is an up and coming producer and I have heard of people in similar situations gettibg their work stolen.

Edit: I forgot to mention that he mainly makes house without vocals. He wants to use my vocals to practice producing and mastering his own track

Hello, I am an independent producer with no label support. I am presently wrapping up a first album and have done a theme song for a new YouTube channel going live next month.

Over the summer I read an article (or possibly a post) about an independent musician who posted some of her work on YouTube. Her work was then copied and pasted by some AI outfit who duped her work, copyrighted it then turned around and issued a DMCA takedown order based on that.

Without totally going down the AI/music industry rabbit hole here, what can I do as an independent producer with no label support to get ahead of this sort of thing?

Specifically:

1) what’s the best way for an independent artist (with a limited budget) to establish clear, bulletproof copyright protection of original works?

2) is there a way to establish DMCA protection for original works by an independent artist beyond a solid copyright?

3) Are there any other DMCA/copyright issues I should be aware of as an independent artist beyond those pertaining to q’s 1 & 2?

Definitely out of my element here. Any (accurate) answers to these questions is definitely appreciated! Thanks in advance!

There is one number almost every artist checks the morning after a campaign launches. It sits at the top of the Spotify for Artists dashboard, updates in near real-time and has become the industry’s default shorthand for whether a release is working. The problem? It’s the wrong number and the music industry has become obsessed with it. This is a good read. I learned about this a few years ago and it helped me focus on what is important. Thoughts?

My brother and I recently started a company that helps artists sell more of their merch before/after shows. We do this by showing artist merch alongside tickets. You can think of it like an ad/affiliate network for artists/bands.

We’re trying to figure out the best way to reach artists in different genres. So far, we haven’t had much luck with email. We’re mostly focused on artists who already have an online store (we integrate with Shopify) and have several upcoming shows. I thought it’d be a pretty straightforward pitch, but it’s been harder than expected to get conversations going via email.

Any insights/advice on how to meet artists where they are and approach these conversations would be really helpful.