What's the best day to release music?

When planning your next release, you may find yourself wondering ‘What is the best day of the week to release music on?’ 

While Friday might seem like the go-to release day for most artists (because that's when streaming platforms refresh their playlists and charts reset), it's not always the best fit for everyone. Releasing on a Friday can mean going head-to-head with the biggest names in music, making it tough to stand out from the crowd.

We’ll break down how music release timing actually works, explore the pros and cons of releasing on a Friday, look at alternative days that might give your music more visibility, and share tips on how to plan your release for maximum reach and impact.

The History of Friday Releases

Since 2015, Friday has become the universal day for new music releases, but it wasn’t always that way. Here’s why it changed, and what it means for artists today:

For decades, release days have been chaotic, with different countries dropping new music on different days and times. Before the world started distributing music online, artists would historically release music on a Tuesday, as it would allow physical distributors time to ship physical copies over the weekend, and for shops to stock their shelves on Monday evenings. 

Releasing mid-week meant listeners had a chance to hear and discuss new songs during their commute to work, just in time for the weekend. It allowed artists to build up the hype and ultimately ensured it would climb the charts by Friday night.

What is Global Release Day?

In 2015, the music industry adopted Global Release Day, after the success of Beyoncé's self-titled album in 2013. Global Release Day’s goal was to make new music available to everyone at the same time. Most new albums and songs are released on Fridays, typically at midnight local time, on all major digital streaming platforms. 

Now prominently known as New Music Fridays, this sync-up means that fans everywhere get to enjoy their favourite artists' new tracks at roughly the same time, which is pretty exciting! Plus, it makes it easier to follow chart performances and plan global releases. 

New Music Fridays

Fridays have become the go-to release day in the music industry, and it's easy to see why. It all started with major playlists like Spotify's New Music Friday, which highlights the freshest tracks of the week. Being featured on these playlists can give artists incredible exposure and boost their streaming numbers.

Choosing Friday as the global standard also tackled some common challenges in the industry. It helped cut down on piracy from early releases in different regions, made it easier to report global charts, and lined up nicely with how listeners typically discover new music as they gear up for the weekend.

That said, just because most artists release new music on Friday doesn’t necessarily mean you should, especially as an independent artist.

Why Friday might not be the best day to release music

Fridays might seem like the best time to release music, but they’re also the busiest. 

Major labels, indie artists, and everyone in between drop new music at once, flooding social media, streaming homepages and Spotify’s New Music Friday and Release Radar. 

With so much coming out, it’s tough for your release to stand out in the noise and independent artists without major label backing are especially at risk of being buried under all of this noise before you even get traction.   

When hundreds of songs hit at the same time, listeners can feel overwhelmed, and that can make it harder for your track to grab their attention.

It’s not just listeners who are overloaded, either. Playlist editors and curators are buried in submissions every Friday. With so much to get through, your track might not get the attention it deserves. On quieter days, though, listeners and curators have more time to actually listen, and your chances of being noticed go way up.

As you may know, Spotify’s Release Radar updates before Friday, usually featuring tracks released earlier in the week. 

In our experience, if you drop your song on a Friday, it might not show up until the following Friday’s Release Radar, which puts you at risk of losing attention and initial buzz. If you do choose to release on a Friday, promoting your track on social media before and after the release is so important. Make sure you are utilising all the features on your social media to get the maximum engagement.

The best day of the week to release music

Friday might be the industry standard, but that doesn’t make it the nly choice. Instead of fighting for space, think smart about releasing music on alternative days, when listeners and curators actually have time to notice your music.

Mondays

Mondays are the best day if your goal is to attract PR, blogs and early week visibility. It gives you a whole week to promote your music before Friday hits. It’s also a great day to pitch your music to press or blogs that plan their content a week ahead.

Tuesdays & Wednesdays

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are a good balance of listener availability and media attention. With less competition mid-week, it means your release will gain more visibility. It also gives you a few days to promote before weekend streaming peaks. 

Thursdays

By dropping music on a Thursday, it means you are just in time for Friday listening without it being saturated by the Friday releases. It’s great for genres that thrive on the weekend energy or artists targeting pre-weekend engagement and building momentum into Friday. 

Saturdays & Sundays

Weekend releases are also great, as listeners have more free time to explore music casually. It's a great time to engage with your audience and build fan loyalty through social media while your music is being released. (But remember, we only work Monday-Friday, so if there is a problem with your release, we may not be able to jump to your message until Monday morning).

Choosing your music release day

There’s no single ‘best’ day to release music; it all depends on you and your goals for your release.

A good place to start is by thinking about what you want to achieve. Are you aiming for more streams, followers, or pre-saves? Your release strategy should match your goals, not just what everyone else is doing.

Next, consider your audience and genre. When are your listeners most active? For example, dance or pop tracks might perform better heading into the weekend, while acoustic or lo-fi music could suit quieter midweek drops. Look at your Spotify for Artists data; it shows you where your listeners are and when they’re most engaged.

You’ll also want to think about competition and playlist submissions. Avoid releasing too close to big artist drops if your genre overlaps, and remember that Spotify requires at least seven days’ notice for playlist pitching. Planning gives your track a better shot at being heard.

And if you’re unsure? Experiment. Try different days and track your results over time. Every artist’s audience is unique; finding your ideal release day often comes down to a bit of trial and error.

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