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Selecting Your DTC and Streaming Release Dates

The Release Dates section has two separate calendars, one for your Direct-to-Fan (DTC) release and one for your Streaming release. These dates control when your release goes live in each channel.

The Release Dates section has two separate calendars, one for your Direct-to-Fan (DTC) release and one for your Streaming release. These dates control when your release goes live in each channel.

Sell directly to fans on your EngineEars storefront, then distribute to streaming stores. Artists who give fans a window to buy direct before the release hits streaming can earn significantly more from their music in the first 30 days, since direct sales keep 100% of earnings before the release goes to DSPs.

  • Direct-to-Fan Release date: The date your release becomes available for purchase on your own EngineEars storefront.
  • Streaming Release date: The date your release goes live on DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms).

You can set these dates independently. Many artists give fans a window (commonly two weeks) to buy the release directly before it goes to streaming, since direct sales during that window pay out at a much higher rate than streaming royalties. If you don't want a gap between the two, you can also set both dates the same.

Confirming each date

Each calendar has its own Confirm button. Click Confirm under Direct-to-Fan Options once you're happy with that date, and again under Streaming Options for the streaming date. Once confirmed, the button updates to show a green "Confirmed" state with an Edit option if you need to make a change.

  • Goes live on your EngineEars profile: Shows the exact date and local time your direct release will open for sale.
  • Go-live date across all DSPs: Shows the exact date and local time your streaming release goes live. Standard releases go live at 12:00 AM local time in each territory.

A few things to keep in mind when picking your dates:

  • Streaming stores need at least 7 days' lead time to be considered for editorial playlist placement, so submitting further in advance improves your chances of playlist support.
  • Fridays are the industry-standard release day for streaming platforms.
  • Once submitted, release dates are difficult to change, so confirm both dates carefully before continuing.