How to Self-release Your Album

Musicians

You’ve worked hard on your album for several months (or years), and you believe that it is ready to be introduced to the general public. To release your album, you can simply sign the contract with a big record house and let them do all the hard work. However, sometimes this is not possible, or you might not want to do it.

Luckily, with all the technology we have available today, anyone can publish their own album with a little bit of hard work. Knowing where to start and which steps to take can be difficult if you’re doing it for the first time, so we’re here to help.

  1. Create an Album Cover

This is a good place to start as it is fun and not too demanding. However, as people nowadays do judge the book by its cover, it is still one of the most important steps, so take your time with it.

If you’re not skilled in photography or digital art, find an artist who is. Make your album cover a minimum of 1400 x 1400 pixels, 72 dpi, and create it in either JPG or PNG format.

  1. Pick Your Track Titles and Your Project Title

This is another important aspect, as it is the first or the second thing your listeners are going to notice on your album. The project title and the track titles are an essential part of the identity of your album, so make sure they do a good job representing it.

Moreover, smart titles will make your music more easily findable online, meaning your album will be more of a success.

  1. Choose the Correct Genre

Choosing the right genre will make your music easily findable online. Moreover, you will increase the chances of your music being found by someone who is actually going to like it, keep listening to it, and recommend it to other people, and that is priceless. P.S. Don’t forget to include subgenres!

  1. Make Sure to Include the Collaborators

If your music project features another artist, make sure to include them on the album as well. Making collaborations is a fantastic way to make awesome music, but it also increases the chances of your music being found on the web. If someone is looking for music created by your collaborator, they will inevitably find your own music as well.

  1. Sort out the ISRCs

ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Codes. It’s a 12 digit number that’s unique for every song and helps with its identification. Make sure that your ISRC codes are sorted out in order to avoid confusion.

  1. Decide Where You Want to Publish

Now that your album is ready, you need to decide where you want to publish it. Your best chances are to release your album on the most popular music streaming services, such as iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, and so on. Alternately, you can publish your album on YouTube if you want to make it free and use it to promote yourself.