You’ve spent months (or maybe years) crafting your next release. The last thing you want is to drop it into silence. But here’s the thing: music platforms and fans alike respond best when there’s momentum. That’s why one of the smartest moves you can make ahead of a release is to warm up your catalogue.
Think of it like stretching before a workout, you’re getting your audience (and the algorithms) ready for what’s coming next.
What’s The Point?
When you suddenly release new music after a long period of quiet, streaming algorithms have less recent engagement data to work with. Fans might have drifted, playlists may have gone stale, and your visibility can dip.
By reactivating your catalogue before release day, you:
- 🔥 Reignite listener engagement – remind fans why they loved your music in the first place.
- ⚙️ Signal algorithms – increased activity tells Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube that people are interested in your work again.
- 💬 Build anticipation – warming up your catalogue creates narrative momentum leading into your next drop.
How to Warm Things Up
Here are a few simple ways to breathe life back into your existing music before your new release hits:
1. Resurface Old Tracks
Start posting your older songs again - maybe through short-form content, remixes, or nostalgic throwbacks. Highlight moments that new fans might’ve missed the first time around. It’s not old to everyone…
2. Post Behind-the-Scenes Content
Share stories or clips that connect your old music to your upcoming release. Studio memories, writing inspiration, live performance snippets, map the journey from the past to present - all great ways to create continuity and emotional connection.
3. Create Thematic Playlists
Build a playlist around your older tracks, or pair them with artists who inspire your next release. Utilise moods and themes, share it across socials and pin it to your profiles, it subtly encourages deeper listening.
Here are some examples that might fit your music:
- Late Night Drive
- Music For The Moshpit
- Music for 4AM
- Sunday Morning Soul
4. Run a Mini Campaign
If budget allows, run low-spend ads or playlist pushes on your strongest back-catalogue tracks. You’ll drive traffic, boost your stats, and warm up audiences for your next single.
Ad platforms you can use include:
- Meta Ads Manager (Instagram & Facebook) - Typically useful for driving viewers to external platforms such as Spotify
- TikTok Ads Manager (TikTok) - Useful for driving platform video views and awareness
- Google Ads Manager (YouTube) - Useful for generating YouTube views for content such as Music Videos and generating subscribers
When To Do It
We recommend you should be starting to warm your catalogue anywhere between 4-6 weeks ahead of your release. This allows your channels, including your DSP profiles to be warm ahead of when your pitch to editorial playlist curators will be happening. Your monthly listeners will be boosted and if you keep momentum up with your activity you can carry these through into release.
The Payoff
When release day arrives, you won’t be starting from zero, you’ll be building on a foundation of recent engagement. Fans will be tuned in, algorithms will already be working in your favour, and your new release will have a far greater chance of breaking through the noise.
So before you upload that new single, take a few days (or weeks) to wake up your catalogue. You’re not just promoting your past, you’re setting the stage for your future.
Ready to pitch your music to Spotify and Apple Music editors?
Head back to the un:hurd app to explore more tools and resources for playlist promotion.
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