You can copy this blueprint to release your music in 2023!
My friend Ricardo has accidentally stumbled upon what I believe is the future of music releases—and there’s nothing stopping you from copying his strategy.
Let me break it down for you, and I think you’ll agree this is a powerful approach for releasing your own music.
First of all, in 2023, the album format is effectively dead. People don’t listen to albums—they listen to playlists. The idea of crafting an album with a sonic journey, cohesive sound, thoughtful track order, and a unified mix and master is great in theory, but in reality, listeners tend to find one or two songs they like and ignore the rest.
So let’s scrap the idea of making an album every year. Instead, set up an evergreen campaign that steadily grows and engages your fanbase—while giving you clarity and motivation to keep going.
Here’s the concept in a nutshell:
- Release a new tune every month
- Create a piece of art that goes with the tune
- Pick a date for release, let’s say the 1st, and stick to it every month
- Pick a date to give away the art piece, let’s say the 11th, and stick to it every month
- Pick a date to release the “making of video”, let’s say the 21st, and stick to it every month
- Never stop
Repeat. Forever.
This marketing campaign builds momentum
With this approach, you’ll release 12 tunes per year, which is essentially the same as an album. But more importantly, it gives you something fresh to talk about online and in your email every 10 days—this is key to staying engaged with your audience.
The art piece could be a painting, sculpture, or any form of visual art that connects with the tune. You can create it yourself or commission a different artist each month (this helps you tap into their fanbase too). The key is to ensure the art has a meaningful link to the song.
Take a photo of the art piece—this becomes the cover for your “single” that will go live on Spotify on the 1st of every month.
On the 11th of each month, hold a draw for your email subscribers to win the art piece. This not only helps you engage your existing fanbase but also builds your email list, as the motivation to sign up is to win something special.
For YouTube, document the creation of the art and the recording process of the song using photos or video (or both). Sync this with the song and upload it as “The Making Of” video. Regularity is what matters here—creating consistent content every month will help you build momentum.
Now you have a new release every month on both YouTube and Spotify.
If one of the tunes really takes off, you can create a proper music video for it and release it as “Song Title + Official Music Video.”
Grow your fanbase
Building an email list is essential. It’s a great way to connect with your fans, sell merchandise like T-shirts and hats, and keep them updated about your gigs, new music, art piece draws, and “making of” videos every month!
With this strategy, you’ll have a clear direction: just stick to the monthly schedule. This is the best part—you follow the dates, which will keep you motivated and give your fanbase something to look forward to.
Your fanbase will grow steadily as everyone will anticipate what’s coming on the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month, as well as have a chance to win the art piece.
It doesn’t matter what you released last month—whether it’s the instrumentation, where you recorded it, or how it was mixed—all that matters is that you deliver on time, every month. Stick to the plan, and take your fans along on your journey.
Follow Ricardo on Spotify to see what he’s releasing and painting each month. His release date is the 27th, and he sings in Swedish (and sometimes Spanish).
Before I published this blog post, The Perfect Marketing Plan for Your Music in 2023, I sent it to Ricardo. He mentioned he’s planning an art exhibition with all his paintings, which is another great idea. However, he’ll miss out on building his email list if he doesn’t give away the art on the 11th of every month.