Topics

Search

Can’t quite find what you are looking for? Try searching for a solution instead.

What is a pre-order and how to set up yours

What is a pre-order?

A pre-order is when you make a release available for sale before your official release date.

This is a great marketing tool, as it allows you to engage with your fanbase before your release is published and it helps you with marketing on social media and press. With pre-orders your fans will automatically receive your music on the release date. This can help you rise on iTunes, Amazon, Traxsource and Beatport charts, creating a higher profile for your release.

Please note: the pre-order will start at the exact same day on all the chosen stores. It is not possible to:

choose different pre-order dates on different stores
set a pre-order for a past date
set a pre-order for date past the release date

Screenshot of the iTunes Store on Mac with an album that you can pre-order by Fitz and the Tantrums.

Which digital stores support this option?

We offer you the possibility of setting up a pre-order on the following shops: iTunes, Amazon, Traxsource (𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 & 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 14 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺) and Beatport (𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 & 𝘪𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥).

If your fans were to buy your music before its official release, you can show your gratitude by allowing them to immediately download up to 50% of the total tracks on the release. This feature is called Instant Gratification and it's available on iTunes / Apple Music.

IMPORTANT: Instant gratification tracks will also be available on Deezer and Amazon.

BEATPORT: if you want to set a pre-order on Beaport you need to already have a label page on Beatport otherwise we need to set it up for you. In this case please send us the logo of your label in .JPEG 1500x1500 pixels as described in the email (subject "Your distribution request for Beatport and Traxsource") we have sent you. Note: a label page creation can take up to 2 weeks.

How much does it cost?

You can order this service (10€) from the “Products” page, on your iMusician Dashboard :

Or you can directly click on this link:

Pre-orders — iTunes Store, Amazon, Traxsource and Beatport (including instant gratification tracks)

Once your order is finalized and paid, you’ll receive an email with a form to fill. (Please note that you’ll receive a separate email for each service). Fill out the form(s) to give us all the information we need to set up the service(s) you ordered.

Pre-listening period. Pre-listening excerpts range from 30 to 90 seconds depending on the online store and you can decide when to have them start using the dynamic bar in the "Tracks" section when uploading your record release to our platform.

How long does it take?

We need at least 10 working days to set up the Pre-order for your release. For example: If you want pre-sales to start 4 weeks before release date, you will need to submit the necessary content 6 weeks prior to that date.