A release is one thing an artist puts out on a date, under a title, with a barcode that names it wherever it is sold or streamed. A single, an EP, an album or a compilation. The tracks inside it have their own codes; the release is the parcel they travel in.
What a release carries
- A title, and the kind: single, EP, album or compilation.
- A release date, the day it becomes available.
- A UPC, the barcode that joins it across platforms.
- Artwork, usually square, at the size the platforms ask for.
- Credits: every artist the release is put out under.
One release, several artists
Most singles are collaborations, and the release is one thing however many names are on it. Each artist promotes the same release from their own pages, and each of them needs the same title, date and barcode to stay the same everywhere. A number that differs by one artist's page is a release nobody can find.
Why the date matters twice
The date decides when the platforms open it, and it decides what the page in front of a listener says before that day. Ahead of the date the page asks; after it, the page plays. The same address doing both is what keeps a link shared weeks early from going dead.