G01Guide · Release Week Plan

How to plan your UK release week from green-light to release morning.

A working timeline for indie artists, labels and managers — covering press pitching, BBC Introducing, the Spotify for Artists editorial pitch, distribution readiness and the release-day content calendar. Written from the same playbook we use at Quite Great's music arm.

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Why a timeline matters more than a budget.

Most release weeks don't fall apart because the song isn't strong enough. They fall apart because the press pitches went out a week late, the distributor upload slipped, the BBC Introducing email landed in the wrong inbox and the release-day content calendar was sketched on a Post-it at 11pm. A simple T-12 plan catches all of those before they happen — and it doesn't cost a penny.

T-12 weeks

Master to distributor

T-8 weeks

BBC Introducing pitch

T-4 weeks

Press EPK out

T-2 weeks

Pre-save live

T-7 to T-3 days

Spotify editorial pitch

Release day

Calendar runs

Day 2 to 7

Second-wave pitching

Week 2

Review, recirculate, plan next

The T-12 plan, four working blocks.

Each block has concrete tasks you can tick off this week. Move the blocks earlier if your release is bigger or the team is smaller — the order matters more than the exact week.

T-12 to T-8 weeks

Lock the date and start the long-lead pitches.

Set the release date with the team and don't move it. Every downstream deadline — distribution upload, BBC Introducing, press features, social assets — hangs off that single date.
Send your final master to the distributor early. UK distributors need a couple of weeks of lead time to schedule a release cleanly, and re-uploads close in the final days.
Pitch BBC Introducing with 4–6 weeks of lead time. Include the final track, a short bio and the locked release date. Last-minute submissions often miss the week or drop out of the queue.
Build your press list by hand, not from a bought database. Local papers, regional blogs, specialists and the right BBC local shows — then send short heads-up emails asking outlets to mark the date.
Plan the visual pack now: cover art, a hero press shot, three vertical stills for social, a 15-second teaser and a 30-second teaser. Shoot them while the song is still fresh.

T-4 to T-1 weeks

Press, pre-saves and the Spotify editorial pitch.

Send full press pitches with the EPK — the track, the bio, the press shot, the release date and one plain sentence on why this release matters now.
Go live with a pre-save link. Build it into the press pack, the lead capture site and the email list signup in the same week so the numbers stack.
Submit the Spotify for Artists editorial pitch from your artist profile when the window opens in the days before launch. Submit then — not on the morning, not a month early.
Lock the release-day content calendar: an overnight teaser, the audio at midnight, a video by lunchtime, an evening post and a thank-you at the end of the day. Each piece has a job to do.
Confirm distribution deliverables are scheduled, metadata is correct and the song is queued on every major DSP. Check the distributor dashboard the day before release as a final sanity pass.

Release morning

The first twelve hours matter more than people think.

Verify the track is live across Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal and Deezer before posting anything public. Listen on each one if you can.
Send the pre-save audience the link at midnight UK time. Don't wait until morning — that early wave is what feeds the day-one numbers.
Run the day-one content plan in order. Audio at midnight, the official clip mid-morning, a written piece on why the song exists by lunchtime, a short behind-the-scenes clip in the afternoon, a thank-you post at the end of the day.
Reply to every piece of press coverage as it lands. A quick note to a local paper or blogger will land your next release on their radar without any extra spend.

The week after

Don't let the release become a one-day event.

Pull streaming data on day two and again on day seven — saves, playlist adds, listener cities and the source of traffic. Send one screen to the team with what the numbers actually say.
Pitch the second-wave playlists and the slower-burn outlets that didn't respond first time. Spotify editorial and major curators often review in the second week as well.
Keep posting. A second round of content — a lyric video, a live clip, a producer note or a fan reaction piece — lifts the song through week two and keeps the algorithm busy.
Plan the next single or campaign while this release is still warm. The team, the list and the assets are already in shape; the worst thing you can do is go quiet now.

FAQRelease Week Questions

The pitfalls people always hit.

How far ahead should I pitch BBC Introducing?

Give them at least 4–6 weeks of notice before release day. BBC Introducing teams plan around weekly broadcasts and slots fill up well in advance. Send the final track, a short bio, a press shot and the locked release date — and don't move the date after you've submitted.

Can I still send press releases the week of release?

Only for short-lead news angles. Features, reviews and preview slots need much more notice — usually weeks, not days. If you've left it late, focus on the outlets that move fastest: local papers, specialist bloggers, regional BBC local shows and the slower-burn Substack writers.

Does the Spotify for Artists editorial pitch actually work?

It's worth doing, but it doesn't guarantee anything. The pitch gets the song in front of Spotify's editorial team ahead of release day. Submit when the window opens in the days before launch — not on the morning, not a month early — and treat any playlist add as a bonus, not the plan.

Want a release-week team to run it?

Email us with the artist, the release date and where you're at in the plan and we'll come back with a short proposal.

ask@quitegreat.co.uk