Admin To Do When Releasing Music in 2025

Anga Hackula
Apr 16
2 min read

You’ve recorded, mixed, and mastered your new track—congrats! But before you hit "release," it’s crucial to handle the behind-the-scenes admin work that protects your rights and sets your song up for success.

In this post, I’ll walk you through everything you need to do before releasing music in 2025—from split sheets and metadata to registrations and marketing budgets. Let’s get into it.

1. Sort Out the Split Sheet

Before your song drops, determine who owns what using a split sheet. This document outlines the percentage of ownership each contributor (producer, songwriter, artist, etc.) has in the composition and recording. It also ensures everyone gets their fair share of royalties.

Tip: SAMRO has a template, and I also include a split sheet in my Publishing Agreement Templates.

2. Create a Metadata Sheet

Metadata is the vital info that identifies your song:

Song title
Length
Writers and copyright holders
ISRC code

This data is used across streaming platforms, royalty collections, and music databases.

3. Get an ISRC Code

The ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is like an ID number for your track. You can get one through RISA.Each version of your song (radio edit, extended version, etc.) may require a different ISRC. Keep these listed in your metadata sheet.

4. Export All Versions of Your Song

Prepare every version you’ll need:

Clean/radio edit
Extended version
2-minute version for short content
Instrumental if needed

Different versions can help with pitching, sync licensing, and playlist inclusion.

5. Register with SAMRO, CAPASSO, and SAMPRA

Register your track with South Africa’s major rights organisations. This step is non-negotiable if you want to collect royalties:

SAMRO – performance rights
CAPASSO – mechanical rights
SAMPRA – recording rights

⏱️ It takes about 45 minutes, and I’ve made a tutorial linked here to walk you through it.

6. Set a Promotion Budget

You’ll need a marketing budget if you want real reach. For streaming growth, I recommend:

R1,000–R2,000 per month
Run your campaign for at least 3 months

If your song is playlist-friendly, you may need less. But niche or experimental songs might need more promo support.

I personally use Groover to reach curators and pitch to playlists—it saves time and gets real results.

7. Choose Your Distributor

Popular choices include:

DistroKid (my personal go-to) try Distrokid here!
LANDR
TuneCore
CD Baby

⚠️ Important: Upload your song at least 4–5 weeks in advance of your release date. This gives you time to submit to Spotify playlists and build pre-release buzz.

8. Start Pre-Marketing

Before the song even drops:

Reach out to TikTok creators, if it suits your genre
Use Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube Shorts to tease your audience
Send pre-save links to build momentum

Remember, promotion doesn’t stop on release day—post-release marketing is just as important.

Final Thoughts

Releasing music isn’t just about creativity—it’s also about strategy. With the right admin in place, your track stands a better chance of collecting royalties, landing on playlists, and reaching the right audience.

Have I missed anything? Drop a comment or reach out and I’ll either respond or make a follow-up guide.

Until next time,

Skilligan the Hooligan ✌️