An album release page for one record, on your own site
A release page gives one record a permanent home on your own address: the cover art, the tracklist and credits, a link to every streaming service and store, and the details of the release show. Anticode builds that page. It doesn't do pre-saves or embedded players, so before release day you'd use a pre-save service for that one job and link to it, then point people at each service directly.
Release page or smart link?
Many artists use a smart link: one URL that shows a button per streaming service. It's quick and it's what fans recognise. A page on your own site does a different job. It holds more than links (credits, lyrics, the story of the record, tour dates), it stays up after a link service changes its terms, and it builds your own site's presence in search. The two work well together: smart link for the pre-release push, your own page as the record's lasting home.
What goes on the page
- Cover art
- Large, with the title and artist name as text alongside. Alt text describes the artwork.
- Release date and format
- Digital, vinyl, CD or cassette, with label and catalogue number if there is one.
- Listen links
- A button per service: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Bandcamp, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music, whichever you're on. Put the one that pays you best first if you have a preference.
- Buy links
- Physical formats and downloads, via Bandcamp or your own store, and merch if it's tied to the release.
- Tracklist
- Numbered, with durations. Mark the singles.
- Credits
- Writers, players, producer, engineer, mastering, artwork and photography. People look for these, and collaborators share pages that credit them.
- The story
- A paragraph on how the record was made, for press and curious fans.
- Release show
- Venue, date, doors and stage times, support acts, a ticket link, and access information.
- Press
- A short bio, a press photo and a contact, or a link to your EPK.
Before, on and after release day
- Weeks before: cover, date, a teaser line and a link to your pre-save service. Add a newsletter sign-up for release-day news.
- Release day: swap the pre-save link for listen and buy buttons for every service, and move the release show near the top.
- After the show: add photos from the night, press quotes and links to any video. Keep the listen links prominent; they keep working for years.
Test every service link on release morning. Stores and streaming services sometimes go live at different times around midnight in different countries, and a link that worked in a preview may not resolve until the record is out.
How Anticode builds it
Describe it: "an album release page for our second record, out 6 March, with cover art, tracklist, credits, links to Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and YouTube, and the release show at a venue in Glasgow". The Architect may ask about the look; Brutalist (Archivo) and Playful (Fredoka) suit many independent releases, Luxury (Jost) a quieter record. Upload the cover and band photos; the model sees and places them. Video can't play on these pages, so link to it on YouTube or Vimeo.
Each service button is a plain link you supply. The newsletter form collects emails, and with the Mailchimp or Kit connector each sign-up goes to your list for release-day emails. A contact form can take booking and press enquiries. On release day, ask for the change in a sentence or edit in place. For the wider site, see musician website and record labels.
What it doesn't do, and what to use instead
- No pre-save integration. Pre-saving needs a connection to each streaming service that Anticode doesn't have. Use a pre-save or smart link service and link to it from the page.
- No embedded players. Published pages can't embed Spotify, Bandcamp or YouTube players. Use buttons that link out.
- No audio playing on the page itself. Design-engine pages run no scripts, so previews live on the services.
- No ticketing. Link to the venue's or promoter's ticket page.
- No store or downloads delivery. Sell through Bandcamp or a payment link from your own provider.
Questions people ask
Should a single get its own release page?
For a lead single, often yes, and it can later become a section of the album page. For every single, a smart link is usually enough.
Can fans listen without leaving the page?
No. Each button opens the service in a new place. That's normal for release pages and avoids any embedded tracking.
Can I keep the page after the album campaign?
Yes. Release pages keep working as long as the links do; check them once or twice a year.