Release planning · 4 min read
Find your links before release day
Get the right links from your distributor and prepare an upcoming release.
Everyone can read this guide. Pre-release campaigns, fan email capture and insights need Pro or Lifetime.
- 01
Deliver your release first
Upload your music and artwork to your distributor and choose a release date. Allow enough time for delivery and review; follow your distributor’s recommended lead time.
A submitted release is not necessarily available on streaming services yet. Wait for delivery confirmation before looking for platform links.
- 02
Ask your distributor for the platform link
DistroKid: look for the Spotify URI tool under its Goodies menu, then select your delivered release. Tool names and availability can change.
TuneCore, CD Baby or Ditto: open the release’s delivery or store-status page. If a Spotify URI or store link is not available there, ask support for it; not every distributor exposes unreleased links.
For Apple Music, ask whether a pre-add link is available for your release. An ISRC identifies a recording, but it is not a listening link or a pre-save authorization.
- 03
Choose a working fan destination
A Spotify URI identifies a track or album; it does not, by itself, let MelodyLane automatically save music to a fan’s library.
If your distributor provides a working pre-save or Apple Music pre-add page, use that destination. Confirm it works with a signed-out browser. An unreleased listening URL may not open for fans yet.
- 04
Build the upcoming-release page
In Dashboard → Smart Links → Create a page, choose a pre-release campaign. Add artwork, your release date, and any working destinations you already have. Pre-release campaigns require Pro or Lifetime.
Review every service button before sharing. Do not substitute a different artist’s release when automatic matching cannot find your unreleased track.
When the music becomes available, edit the same smart link with its verified listening URLs. Your shared MelodyLane address stays the same.