AWAL Release Plan: 90, 60 And 30 Days Out
How far in advance to upload to AWAL, which of their deadlines you have already missed on a short runway, and what a 90, 60 or 30 day plan looks like. AWAL recommends 4 to 6 weeks.
AWAL publishes a two-week minimum but recommends four to six weeks, and the gap between those numbers is where releases go wrong. Each streaming service takes two to seven working days to ingest, and any metadata or artwork correction restarts the clock on your side.
Recommended lead time: 4 to 6 weeks. Stated minimum: 2 weeks. Four to six weeks recommended, two weeks as an absolute floor, and the gap between those is where releases go wrong.
How AWAL actually works
- Pre-save: Standard smart-link tooling. Waterfall scheduling is supported, which is the reason to plan the sequence early.
- Pitching: AWAL's own editorial relationships on top of Spotify for Artists, which is the main reason to be there.
- Payout: Revenue share, no upfront fee, selective admission.
The 90 day calendar on AWAL
- Day 90: Lock the release date and stop moving it. Every deadline counts backward from it.
- Day 85: Final masters delivered. No more revisions.
- Day 75: Artwork finished at 3000 x 3000, and readable at thumbnail size.
- Day 70: Clear every sample and feature in writing.
- Day 45 (AWAL): Running a waterfall? Plan the whole sequence now. Each track is its own pitch opportunity, so a ten-track waterfall is ten chances at editorial instead of one.
- Day 42 (AWAL): Deliver the release. Complex genres such as classical and soundtrack need four weeks or more on their own.
- Day 35 (AWAL): Each streaming service takes two to seven working days to ingest, and that is after AWAL has finished with it.
- Day 28 (AWAL): AWAL pitches editorial through its own relationships as well as Spotify for Artists. Give your rep the story early enough to use it.
- Day 21: Push pre-saves properly. It is the strongest day-one signal you control.
- Day 14: Confirm every piece of release-week coverage has your assets and the right date.
- Day 14 (AWAL): Re-pitching happens on AWAL's schedule, not yours. Ask when your release is eligible.
- Release day: Release day. Work the day, do not just watch the numbers.
- Day 21 after: Third asset, and pitch playlists that only take already-released tracks.
AWAL on a 90-day runway: Comfortable
Deliver at day 60 to 45 and you are inside the recommended window with room for a correction.
AWAL on a 60-day runway: Comfortable
Deliver by day 40 to stay inside four to six weeks.
AWAL on a 30-day runway: Tight
Above the two-week minimum but below the recommendation. Deliver today and do not plan on being able to fix anything.
Deadlines already passed on a 30-day runway: Running a waterfall? Plan the whole sequence now. Each track is its own pitch opportunity, so a ten-track waterfall is ten chances at editorial instead of one. Deliver the release. Complex genres such as classical and soundtrack need four weeks or more on their own. Each streaming service takes two to seven working days to ingest, and that is after AWAL has finished with it.
What happens if you miss the AWAL deadline
The two-week minimum assumes nothing goes wrong. A metadata or artwork correction restarts your side of the clock while DSP ingestion still needs its two to seven working days.
- DSP ingestion alone runs two to seven working days, and that is after AWAL is done.
- Complex genres such as classical and soundtrack need four weeks or more.
- The two-week minimum assumes nothing goes wrong. Something usually does.