CD Baby Release Plan: 90, 60 And 30 Days Out
How far in advance to upload to CD Baby, which of their deadlines you have already missed on a short runway, and what a 90, 60 or 30 day plan looks like. CD Baby recommends 4 to 6 weeks, and their help centre says at least 6.
CD Baby asks for more runway than anyone else in the self-serve tier. Their guidance is to set a release date at least six weeks out, with three weeks as the floor. If you are used to DistroKid timing, this is the distributor most likely to cost you your release date.
Recommended lead time: 4 to 6 weeks, and their help centre says at least 6. Stated minimum: 3 weeks. CD Baby asks for at least six weeks, with three as the floor. This is the longest self-serve lead time here.
How CD Baby actually works
- Pre-save: Pre-sale date, set at upload. Set it then or resubmit later.
- Pitching: Spotify for Artists. CD Baby Pro Publishing was discontinued in August 2023 with legacy releases grandfathered; the current add-on suite is CDB Boost.
- Payout: Monthly over $10, roughly two to three months behind the streams, 9% commission. Publishing royalties are quarterly and societies run two to four quarters behind.
The 90 day calendar on CD Baby
- 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 42 (CD Baby): Upload to CD Baby. Set the pre-sale date at the same time if you want one, because adding it later means resubmitting.
- Day 42 (CD Baby): Releasing between late November and early January? CD Baby wants six weeks specifically, because store queues back up over the holidays.
- Day 35 (CD Baby): Watch for the inspection step. If CD Baby requests a correction, fix it the same day. This is where releases silently lose a week.
- Day 28 (CD Baby): Pitch through Spotify for Artists.
- 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.
- Release day: Release day. Work the day, do not just watch the numbers.
- Release day (CD Baby): Payouts are monthly for balances over $10 and land roughly two to three months after the streams happen. CD Baby takes 9%. Do not budget on release-month money.
- Day 21 after: Third asset, and pitch playlists that only take already-released tracks.
CD Baby on a 90-day runway: Comfortable
Upload by day 60 and you clear even the six-week guidance with weeks to spare.
CD Baby on a 60-day runway: Tight
You are exactly on their recommended six weeks. Upload in the first week or you fall behind it.
CD Baby on a 30-day runway: Already late
You are under CD Baby's recommended lead time and close to their three-week floor. Either move the release date or accept that the date may not hold. Do not schedule press around a date you cannot guarantee.
Deadlines already passed on a 30-day runway: Upload to CD Baby. Set the pre-sale date at the same time if you want one, because adding it later means resubmitting. Releasing between late November and early January? CD Baby wants six weeks specifically, because store queues back up over the holidays. Watch for the inspection step. If CD Baby requests a correction, fix it the same day. This is where releases silently lose a week.
What happens if you miss the CD Baby deadline
This is the distributor most likely to cost you a release date. Under six weeks you are relying on a queue you do not control, and a one-time fee per release means a rushed re-upload costs money as well as time.
- Releases scheduled into the end-of-year holiday window need six weeks, because store queues back up.
- The inspection step is real and adds days. Build in time for a correction.
- A one-time fee per release means a rushed re-upload costs money, not just time.