When Are New Albums Released On Spotify? (We Checked)

Everybody wants new music, and they do not want to be caught not knowing about it. And so, finding out when you will be able to listen to your favorite band’s new music is crucial.

We’ve found all you need to know.

Now you won’t be on the out by not knowing when Beyonce or Taylor Swift drop a surprise album, for example.

Here’s Everything you Need to Know about Album Releases on Spotify:

New music on Spotify is generally released on a Friday. Some musicians release new music on Spotify Premium before Spotify Free. Your favorite artist may release a Pre-Save link so you can save music to your library before it is released or they will share a single ahead of the full new album.

Are New Albums Released on Spotify at Midnight?

Generally, new music is automatically released at midnight on the date of release.

However, this is not always the case. Some music promoters such as TuneCore and DistroKid now give their artists who use Spotify the option to synchronize the release time of their music globally.

This means that the music will be available worldwide at the exact same moment regardless of time zones.

Spotify, like many other streaming platforms, does a bulk release of music every Friday. This is most likely because Billboard monitors sales from Friday through to Thursday.

When artists release their music on a Friday it has the potential to increase an artist’s chances of making it onto the Billboard charts. It also helps in the creation of platform-generated playlists. 

Do New Albums Appear on Spotify Immediately when Released?

It is all up to the artist’s record label. Priority may be given to the buying of physical copies and paid downloads of the album or single.

Only once that time period is over will Spotify be allowed to stream the song.

Independent artists might also have a delay in getting their music onto the platform as they do not have the power of a record label to help them with the behind-the-scenes admin.

Sometimes popular artists choose to release a lead single. This is one track from their new album that they choose to release ahead of the full album. This could be for a variety of reasons, though most likely it is part of a marketing campaign to get fans wanting to purchase the full album.

It’s important to note that at times, an artist may opt to set up a paywall on Spotify. This means that an artist will release their music on Spotify Premium first and then only two weeks later the album will release on Spotify Free.

The reason for this is that artists are paid more per stream on Spotify Premium and Spotify Free. So, a great way to support your favorite artists is to sign up for Premium, or better yet, purchase the full album.

Are New Albums Always Released on Spotify?

New albums are not always released on Spotify. And often, you have the record labels to thank for this.

Not all bands have record labels that partner with Spotify. This means that Spotify is legally not allowed to stream that artists’ music because they are not licensed to do so.

Unfortunately, many independent artists’ music can’t be found on the platform because they can’t afford the cost involved.

Additionally, some artists may choose not to release their music at all on Spotify. While artists who choose not to may do so for different reasons, one thing we know is that Spotify pays artists very little.

Can you Check Future Release Dates on Spotify?

Currently, Spotify does not have a system in place to notify listeners of upcoming releases of new albums or singles on the platform.

This lack of information provided by the platform has been an area of frustration for many users. Users will have to rely on information provided by the individual artists or through other forms of email or social media marketing. 

In 2021, the service updated the platform with a notification setting that lets users know when new albums or singles are available to be streamed.

• To set this up on your desktop, tap the bell notification on the Spotify Desktop App.
• On the mobile app, you’ll need to enable push notifications for Spotify in your general settings app.

Spotify itself doesn’t currently have a feature that notifies users of future release dates. Instead, artists will release a Pre-save link. This link allows fans to save new albums to their libraries before it is released.

Then, on the release date, those who have “pre-saved” will automatically have the new tracks in their playlists ready for listening.

Final Thoughts

If you want to ensure you are in the loop on new music, have your Spotify push notifications on and stay up-to-date with your favorite artists’ social media.

Though, we hope that Spotify may one day release an updated feature that will allow artists to notify their fans of new music ahead of the release date.

You may also be wondering how long it takes for music to actually reach Spotify. Take a look at our article, How long does it take to get music on Spotify, which looks at distribution from the artists’ perspective. 

Sources

Jamvana
Spotify
Groover Blog
Business Insider