DISTROBOLT ARTIST GUIDES
Holiday release deadlines: leave time for review
Seasonal releases need current deadlines, named owners and extra correction time. Use the latest notices from your distributor and affected platforms instead of recycling last year’s holiday calendar as if it were still valid.
Start with the intended listening date
Record the release date, time zone, priority destinations and any linked event or press commitment. Work backwards through pitching, store processing, distributor review and file completion. Allow for the working calendars of the people who must correct an error. A holiday in one country can matter even when your own team is available.
Maintain a dated deadline register
Use fields for issuing organisation, notice URL or written confirmation, publication year, affected destinations, submission deadline, correction cutoff and person responsible for rechecking it. Mark an unconfirmed deadline as unconfirmed. This guide does not publish a verified 2026 holiday cutoff for DistroBolt and does not replace a current operational notice.
Do not confuse platform milestones with distributor deadlines
Spotify’s pitching guidance is a separate campaign requirement; it does not establish the last safe day to deliver through DistroBolt. A distributor’s own published recommendation also applies to its own workflow, not automatically to another provider. Ask DistroBolt for the current requirement for your release and keep the response with the seasonal plan.
Agree a fallback before the cutoff
For example, if corrected artwork misses the internal approval date, decide whether to move the launch rather than deliver an unapproved asset. Name the person who can approve that decision and list scheduled announcements that need updating. After the season, archive the old deadline notice and label it historical. Recheck the sources before the next campaign instead of silently rolling the same dates forward.
Sources and review
Reviewed 4 November 2026. Platform requirements and plan terms can change. Examples are planning aids, not a promise of account access, release acceptance or earnings.
Continue your release planning
- Change a release date before delivery: decision checklist
- Move a release date after stores have received it
- What must be ready before you book a release date?
Ask the DistroBolt team about your release. Send a concise question and release reference; never send account passwords or verification codes.