A worked example of a complete single release campaign for a fictional Indian independent artist. Use this as a reference model when building your own release plan.
Example Artist: Riya Mehta
Genre: Hindi indie pop / contemporary singer-songwriter Based: Bengaluru Monthly Spotify Listeners (pre-release): 12,000 Instagram Followers: 8,500 Release: "Monsoon Street" — new single Release Date: October 3 (fictional example) Budget: INR 40,000 total
Release Goals
- Reach 25,000 Spotify monthly listeners within 30 days of release
- Get picked up by at least 1 Spotify editorial playlist
- 3–5 pieces of press coverage (Wild City, Homegrown, 1 regional outlet)
- 50,000 streams in the first 30 days (across Spotify + JioSaavn)
- Gain 500 new Instagram followers during campaign
- Sell out a small launch show at a Bengaluru venue (100 capacity)
Budget Allocation
PR / publicist (1 month) ₹15,000 Boutique indie PR contact with Wild City/Homegrown relationship Instagram ads (music video boost) ₹8,000 Target: 18–30, Bengaluru + Mumbai + Delhi; interest in indie music Groover campaign (playlist curators) ₹5,000 20 credits for targeted indie Hindi playlist curators Lyric video production ₹7,000 Freelance animator from Behance Launch show (promo materials, event listing) ₹5,000 Printed posters, digital assets, BookMyShow listing fee
Total ₹40,000
8 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE (August 8)
Actions Taken
- Final master audio received from mixer
- ISRC obtained via TuneCore distributor account
- Cover artwork commissioned from Bengaluru-based graphic designer Farhan — monsoon street photography with Hindi typography
- Co-writer split sheet signed with co-writer Akash Nair (70% Riya / 30% Akash)
- IPRS work registered under Riya Mehta and Akash Nair
6 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE (August 22)
Actions Taken
- Uploaded to TuneCore. Metadata: Hindi indie, singer-songwriter, language: Hindi. Composer: Riya Mehta / Akash Nair. Producer: Arjun Sharma.
- Release date set: October 3.
- Pre-save link generated via TuneCore (links to Spotify and Apple Music).
- Spotify editorial pitch submitted: pitched as "monsoon melancholy meets city love story / Hindi contemporary pop" — selected Indie India playlist as target.
- Apple Music for Artists pitch submitted.
- PR publicist Nisha Singh briefed. She is targeting: Wild City, Homegrown, and Rolling Stone India.
- Lyric video animator contracted. Deliver by September 20.
4 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE (September 5)
Social Content
- Release date announcement post published on Instagram: "Monsoon Street. October 3. Pre-save link in bio." 847 likes, 120 shares, 45 new followers.
- Reel posted: 15-second snippet of the chorus with monsoon B-roll footage. 12,000 views, 340 saves.
- Instagram Story: pre-save link with countdown sticker.
Press
- Press release sent to all 5 targets with October 1 embargo date.
- Private stream link (SoundCloud, password protected) sent to reviewers.
Outreach
- Groover campaign launched: 20 credits sent to Hindi indie playlist curators. 6 responses received: 4 positive ("will listen"), 2 passes.
- Humming Tree Bengaluru launch show confirmed for October 10. Tickets ₹300 per person. Listed on Insider.in.
2 WEEKS BEFORE RELEASE (September 19)
Social Content
- "14 days" Stories countdown running daily.
- Behind-the-scenes Reel: recording session footage. 8,000 views.
- Announcement of Humming Tree launch show. Tickets sold: 40 of 100 in first 48 hours.
Results So Far
- Pre-saves: 380
- Groover adds: 3 playlist curators confirmed adds on release day
- Press: Wild City confirmed a review for release day. Homegrown confirmed a playlist feature. Rolling Stone India did not respond.
- Lyric video delivered and approved.
WEEK OF RELEASE (September 28 – October 3)
September 28: Lyric video posted on YouTube. "3 days to Monsoon Street." 2,400 views in first 24 hours. September 29: Instagram poll: "Which lyric hits harder?" — 72% engagement rate. September 30: "Tomorrow." Simple graphic post with artwork. 600 likes. October 1 (press embargo lifts): Wild City review goes live. Shared immediately. Homegrown playlist feature live. Total reach from press shares: estimated 40,000 accounts. October 2: "Tomorrow." Final countdown Story. Tickets sold: 85 of 100. October 3 (RELEASE DAY):
- 6 AM: Confirmed live on all platforms.
- 8 AM: Email to list of 1,200 subscribers.
- 9 AM: Instagram main post live. 900 likes by EOD.
- 9 AM: Instagram Reel live. 22,000 views by EOD.
- 10 AM: YouTube short live.
- Throughout day: responded to every comment, reshared every fan repost.
- End of day: 3,200 Spotify streams. 6 new playlist adds (3 editorial review in progress, 3 independent).
Results at 30 Days Post-release
Metric | Target | Achieved ───────|────────|-───────── Spotify Monthly Listeners | 25,000 | 28,400 JioSaavn Monthly Plays | Not set | 18,000 Spotify Streams (30 days) | 50,000 | 44,000 (Spotify alone) Editorial Playlist | 1+ | Yes — Indie India (250K followers) Press Coverage | 3–5 pieces | 4 (Wild City review, Homegrown playlist, The Hindu mention, Bengaluru-based blog) Instagram Followers | +500 | +820 Launch Show | 100 tickets | 98 sold (2 comps) Budget Spent | ₹40,000 | ₹38,500
Key Learnings
- The Groover playlist adds were more valuable than the Instagram ads in terms of streaming lift. Increase Groover budget for next release.
- Wild City review drove the highest referral traffic. Invest in that relationship.
- Rolling Stone India non-response — follow up 2 weeks before next release with a personal note, not a mass press release.
- Launch show sell-out: Humming Tree venue worked well. Consider booking for next release at a slightly larger venue.
Document prepared by: Date:
Free to use · Part of the Indie Music India toolkit · Updated September 2026