How to set a release date

The release date is the day your music becomes available to the public across every store and platform. You choose it yourself when creating or editing a release, inside the Calendar step of the form.

For your music to reach each platform on time, that date has to leave room for our team to review the material and for the stores to process it. This guide explains how to pick it well.

Where to set it

Open your release and go to the Calendar step. In the Release Information section you'll find:

• Release Date — the publication day.
• Release Time — the exact time on that day.
• Timezone — the time reference for the value above.
• Original Release Date — only if the music was published before.
• Allow Pre-order and Pre-order Date — optional.

The date field only lets you pick from tomorrow onward; you cannot set it to today or a past date.

Recommended minimum date for your plan

At the top of the step you'll see a banner with the calculation made for your account. The recommended minimum date is:

Your plan's review time + 2 to 7 days of platform processing.

Review time depends on the plan you're on (for example, the free account allows 28 calendar days; paid plans shorten it, and some count business days only). The banner shows your exact number and the earliest recommended date.

Choosing an earlier date

You can select a date earlier than the recommended one, but the system will show a persistent warning: there may not be enough time for review and processing, and the release might not go live on the planned day across every platform.

Whenever possible, keep the recommended lead time or more.

Time and timezone

Release Time defaults to 00:00 and Timezone defaults to UTC.

The date, time and timezone combine into a single exact publication moment. That instant is what platforms use to switch your link from Pre-Save to Smartlink. For a midnight local premiere, set the timezone to that of your main audience.

Original release date

Use Original Release Date only if this music was published before (for example, with another distributor). Enter the first publication date there.

Rules:

• It must be the same as or earlier than the Release Date.
• The field is enabled only after you choose the Release Date.
• If you move the Release Date to a day before the original one, the system clears the original date and notifies you.

For a brand-new release, leave this field empty.

Pre-order

Turn on Allow Pre-order if you want the public to reserve the release before it goes live.

The Pre-order Date must be strictly earlier than the Release Date; it cannot be the same day.

Early release on selected platforms

This is a separate option from pre-order: it lets your music go live earlier on certain platforms for promotion or exclusivity.

To enable it, the Release Date must be more than 20 days from today. Each early platform carries its own date, which must be before the official date and cannot be in the past.

When the date gets locked

While the release is in Draft or Requires changes, you can freely edit the date, time and timezone.

Once you submit it for review, these fields are locked. If you need to move them afterwards, contact support so the team can handle it.

Before you submit

• The Release Date is required to submit the release.
• Check that the date respects your plan's recommended lead time.
• Confirm the time and timezone if the exact premiere moment matters to you.
• Fill in the Original Release Date only if it applies.