How far in advance should I upload to ROC Nation Distribution?

ROC Nation Distribution recommends Set with your rep, not self-serve. Their stated minimum is not published. No published lead time. Your timeline is agreed with a person, which makes onboarding the real first deadline.

When do I have to pitch Spotify editorial?

Spotify sets 7 days as the hard minimum for pitching through Spotify for Artists and recommends 4 to 6 weeks. Third-party campaign data suggests tracks pitched 14 or more days out see roughly double the editorial consideration rate of ones submitted at the 7-day minimum.

ROC Nation Distribution Release Plan: 90, 60 And 30 Days Out

How far in advance to upload to ROC Nation Distribution, which of their deadlines you have already missed on a short runway, and what a 90, 60 or 30 day plan looks like. ROC Nation Distribution recommends Set with your rep, not self-serve.

Formed from the merger of the Roc Nation label and Equity Distribution, ROC Nation Distribution signs artists directly rather than running a pure self-serve upload flow. There is no published lead time because your timeline is agreed with a person. That changes the planning problem: the deadline that matters is when you get accepted and onboarded, which is upstream of everything in the 90/60/30 plans.

Recommended lead time: Set with your rep, not self-serve. Stated minimum: Not published. No published lead time. Your timeline is agreed with a person, which makes onboarding the real first deadline.

Before the calendar starts

Apply and get onboarded. Nothing else on this page is real until that is done.
Get the delivery lead time from your rep in writing. Do not infer it from other distributors.
Confirm which Roc Nation services you can opt into, because those carry their own calendars.
The deal is 85/15 of net profits in your favour, no upfront fees, and you keep your masters. Confirm it against your paperwork rather than a blog post.

How ROC Nation Distribution actually works

Pre-save: Set with your rep.
Pitching: Through the company rather than a self-serve form.
Payout: 85/15 of net profits in the artist's favour, no upfront fees, masters retained.

The 90 day calendar on ROC Nation Distribution

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 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.
Day 21 after: Third asset, and pitch playlists that only take already-released tracks.

ROC Nation Distribution on a 90-day runway: Comfortable

The right runway for an application-based distributor. Apply and get onboarded first, then start the 90-day plan from the day your deal is confirmed.

ROC Nation Distribution on a 60-day runway: Tight

Workable only if you are already signed and onboarded. If you are still applying, the date is not real yet.

ROC Nation Distribution on a 30-day runway: Already late

If you are not already onboarded, this is not a 30-day plan, it is a hope. Confirm delivery timing with your rep before you commit to a date or book anything around it.

What happens if you miss the ROC Nation Distribution deadline

There is no queue to miss, there is a relationship you do not have yet. Building a release date around an unsigned deal is the actual failure mode.

Do not build a release date around a distribution deal you have not signed yet.
No published lead time means confirm it in writing with your rep before you book any press.
The 85/15 split and master ownership are the draw. The tradeoff is that you are on their timeline, not yours.

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