For a long time, the independent artist release plan has looked something like this: finish the song, announce it, drop it, then start spending money trying to convince people to listen.

I think we should flip that entire process.

The biggest marketing push should start before the song is available.

Instead of waiting until release day to figure out whether people care, the weeks leading into the release should be used to create demand, test content, build retargeting audiences, and learn which parts of the song people actually respond to.

For the next few releases, I want AMG artists thinking about the rollout differently. Our goal should be to have the marketing assets finished as early as possible and put out roughly 12 to 15 different snippets, videos, performances, edits, or other pieces of content before release day.

That content is not just promotion. It is research.

Try different sections of the song. Change the setting. Change the hook on screen. Change the style of the video. See what people watch, share, save, comment on, and ask about.

If people are commenting asking when the song drops, complaining that they cannot stream it yet, or searching for a song that has not even been released, that is a good problem to have.

It means the music created enough of a response that someone stopped scrolling, cared enough to interact, and wants the full record.

That is demand.

And every person engaging with that content gives us an audience we can potentially reach again once the song becomes available.

This is where the strategy gets more interesting.

Instead of spending the majority of an ad budget immediately, we can use the pre-release period to identify the content that is already performing. We can build audiences from people who watched videos, visited profiles, interacted with posts, or showed interest in the song. At the same time, we can push pre-saves and collect as many real signals of intent as possible.

Then release day becomes less about introducing a song to strangers and more about converting people who have already heard it, recognize it, and hopefully want it.

If that audience responds when the record drops, then we increase the spend.

Every song should be treated like another at-bat.

Not every release needs to be treated like a grand slam before we have evidence that it can be one.

If we post a song 12 to 15 times before release and nothing is connecting, that does not mean the song is bad. Release it. Support it appropriately. Learn from the results. Get on base and move on to the next opportunity.

But if the snippets start taking off, people are asking for the song, engagement keeps increasing, pre-saves are building, and certain pieces of content clearly outperform everything else, then we have earned the right to swing harder.

That is when additional ad spend makes sense.

This approach can also give the song a stronger starting point on streaming platforms.

Instead of hoping Spotify, Apple Music, or another DSP magically discovers the record, we are sending an existing audience toward it the moment it becomes available.

Saves, repeat listens, playlist adds, profile searches, and other listener behavior can give streaming platforms more evidence that real people actually want the song.

The biggest change is simple:

Release day should not be the beginning of the campaign. It should be the payoff.

I want to test this aggressively across the next two or three AMG releases.

Get the music finished. Get the visual assets finished. Build 12 to 15 pieces of content. Start teasing early. Watch what the audience tells us. Build the retargeting pool. Push pre-saves. Then use release day to turn all of that attention into streams.

Stop spending first and looking for demand second.

Build the demand first. Then spend behind what is already working.

Ready to build a professional system around your music while keeping ownership of your career? Email us at info@amgmusic.org to learn more about joining the AMG roster.