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Pick your date
The day you want the release out, plus the release type and whether this is your first one.
Pick the day you want your music out. Get every deadline between now and then, working backwards from release day.
Pick a date in the future. Releases cannot be scheduled for today or the past.
Deadlines follow the scheduling guidance we publish at Unchained: a release date 3 to 4 weeks out from upload gives stores and editorial pitching the window they need. The full rules are in our release scheduling guide.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or saved.
The day you want the release out, plus the release type and whether this is your first one.
The plan builds backwards from release day, and the banner tells you honestly whether the runway is comfortable, tight, or a rush.
Every milestone carries its date and what it is for. Copy the whole plan as text and put it wherever you plan your work.
The single most important number in release planning is the gap between upload and release day. We recommend setting a release date 3 to 4 weeks out from the day you upload: that window is what gives every store time to ingest the release and, on Pro, what keeps Spotify editorial pitching open long enough to matter.
Under two weeks, the plan gets honest about the cost: review timing can no longer be guaranteed, stores may go live at different moments, and most of the editorial pitching window is already gone. A rushed release is sometimes the right call, but it should be a decision, not a surprise.
Albums need more lead than singles, simply because there is more of everything: more tracks, more metadata, more artwork surfaces, more chances for one detail to need another pass. First releases carry two extra milestones, claiming your artist profiles and, if you want YouTube Content ID, its first-time review, which needs about two weeks.
The calculator turns those rules into dates. What it cannot do is write the plan's content: the posts, the pitch, the premiere. It can only make sure you still have time to.
Three to four weeks before release day. That window gives every store time to ingest the release and keeps editorial pitching open. It is the same guidance we publish in our scheduling FAQ.
It can still work, but review timing is no longer guaranteed and stores may go live at slightly different moments. The calculator flags this as a tight turnaround so you can decide with open eyes.
Any day works technically. Many artists pick a Friday because charts and several editorial playlists refresh then, but the right day is the one your plan can actually hit with time to spare.
Yes. More tracks mean more metadata, more artwork surfaces and more review, so the calculator gives albums an extra week ahead of the upload deadline.
Two. Claiming your artist profiles on the stores so you can verify quickly once the release is delivered, and, if you want YouTube Content ID, a first-time review form that needs about two weeks before release day.
Yes. It is free to use, with no account and nothing uploaded. It is one of a set of browser tools we build for artists and labels preparing releases.
Distribution, mastering and promotion for artists and labels, run from one account with a human checking every release.