Promo timeline planner

Enter your release date and get a dated plan: when to finish the masters, deliver to your distributor, send to DJs, remind them and report to the artist. Copy it or add it to your calendar. Everything stays in your browser.

The release
Shown in the copied text and the calendar events.
Release type

An album starts its preparation two weeks earlier.

Who gets the promo

What you enter stays in this browser. It is saved on this device so you can come back to it, and Clear the form removes it.

Your promo timeline

Pick your release date. The plan appears here, with a date for each step.

  1. Masters final and delivery to your distributor
  2. Radio and press, then your closest DJs
  3. The rest of your DJ list and two reminders
  4. Feedback, and a report to the artist
  5. Release day, late feedback and the end of the promo

Send it with Dubsend

Schedule each round of your promo ahead of time, send to your VIPs first and the rest later, and let Dubsend send the two reminders to the people who opened but didn't listen.

Start freeHow it works

How the dates are set

The plan works back from your release date, using the weeks in the guide how far before release to send promos.

  1. 8 weeks before: masters, artwork and release details final. Radio and press get the music first, because they plan furthest ahead. An album starts two weeks earlier.
  2. 6 weeks before: the release goes to your distributor.
  3. 5 weeks before: your closest DJs and VIPs, so their comments come in early.
  4. 4 weeks before: the rest of your DJ list, with a first reminder 3 days later and the last one 10 days later.
  5. 2 weeks before: one follow-up to people who listened without feedback, then choose the mix to lead with.
  6. 1 week before: a report to the artist. After release: late feedback, and the promo ends about 4 weeks later.

Adjust it to your release

  • A label with a small, close list can work with less time. A bigger release with radio and press campaigns often starts earlier.
  • Ask the radio shows you work with how far ahead they plan, and move that step if they need more time.
  • Send the reminders only to people who opened the promo but haven't listened, never to people who didn't open it.
  • Avoid the busiest release weeks in your genre if you can, when inboxes are fullest.

Questions

Is the promo timeline planner free?

Yes. It works in your browser and needs no account. Nothing you type is sent to Dubsend.

Where do the weeks come from?

From our guide on how far before release to send promos: radio and press about eight weeks before, your closest DJs five weeks before, the rest of the list four weeks before, and the last reminder two to three weeks before release day.

Why are some dates moved by a day or two?

Many labels send promos from Monday to Thursday, so DJs see them before they plan the weekend. A send that would fall on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday is moved to the Thursday before, and a reminder to the Monday after.

How do I add the plan to my calendar?

Press Download calendar file and open the .ics file. Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook add each step as an all-day event.