Release without the panic.

I'm going to be honest about the dumb stuff, because nobody told me and I wish someone had.

Mistake one: no plan

I finished a song and wanted it out that week. So I uploaded it, picked a date close by, and told my friends. That's fine for the joy of it. But giving yourself about three weeks before release day means you can pitch to Spotify's editors, line up your artwork and actually tell people it's coming. A bit of runway changes everything.

Mistake two: the wrong profile

My name ended up matched to the wrong artist profile on a store. Somebody else with a similar name got my song, or I got theirs. Fixing it took ages. Now we check every release against the right artist profile before it goes out, every time.

Mistake three: I missed APRA

I didn't register my songs with APRA AMCOS for ages. That's the organisation that collects money for songwriters when your songs are played in public, on radio, streamed, and performed live. It's free to join. I left money on the table for years because I didn't know. Don't be me. Join, register your songs, and lodge your gig set lists.

What a calm release looks like

• Pick a date about three weeks out.
• Have your master (a WAV or FLAC is best) and your artwork ready.
• Know who wrote it and who produced it, with legal names.
• Sign up to APRA AMCOS if you wrote it.
• Tell people. Your mum counts.

When it's paid, signed and the files are in, we send a confirmation email. Then it's in the stores within 3 business days. Need it faster? Express gets it there within 24 hours for A$15, and if we miss that, you get the A$15 back.