Pre-saves vs Pre-Adds: What They Are, How To Use Them

With streaming now the dominant form of music consumption, labels and artists have been adapting their promotional strategies. Here we explore how to run a Presave/Pre-Add campaign for your next release.

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By Jorge Brea, CEO of Symphonic Distribution from the Symphonic Blog

With Streaming now being the most popular way users listen to music, record labels and artists have shifted their promotional efforts to tap into the popularity of services such as Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, and more. Features such as playlists, verified profiles, and now Presaves and Pre-Adds are dominating the discussion amongst many record labels and artists when it comes to DIY tools.

Let’s talk about how you can run your own Presave (or Pre-Add) campaigns to strike up some interest from your fan base, and have it as an addition to any marketing efforts that we or your promotional teams are doing.

What is a “Presave”?

A Presave is similar to a Preorder in it that you are promoting a release to a fan base prior to the actual release date and, setting a call to action for individuals to consume or interact with the product prior to its release date. A Preorder works in a way that you can get purchases for a release before the release date but, the user won’t get the actual release until the release drops. A Presave is similar but, because of streaming, the user doesn’t get to listen to the album right away, they simply are able to “Save” it to their libraries so that when the release date drops, the release is available for consumption.

In specific to Spotify, a Presave to Spotify campaign allow your fans to connect on Spotify and automatically add an upcoming album or single to their Spotify library when it is released. Additionally, fans can automatically follow the artist or a playlist and can have the album added to a new or existing playlist.

What is a “Pre-Add”?

A Pre-Add is similar to a Presave except it’s the term that is used for Apple Music. This feature was launched recently and is available via various platforms (listed below).

For your fans on Apple Music, they’ll now be able to make sure they hear your whole album the moment it’s released (plus listen to a track or two immediately).

This gives you a greater window in which to market your music in advance of the drop date AND drive specific action on Apple Music while you’re doing it. Just like with presaves on Spotify, all of the interest your fans express during the Pre-add period will help your new music make a bigger impact on the day of its release, spiking your first day stream count.

Do I need a Spotify or Apple Music URL?
Most of these platforms do not require you to enter a Spotify URI or Apple Music Pre-Add link, however, we can provide it to you upon request via our Help Desk. You can also get direct iTunes or Apple Music links by visiting their Link Maker.

How can I Presave or Pre-Add?
The following platforms have automated tools that allow you to create campaigns where fans would Presave your song or Album and have it added to their Spotify library on release day. Some of these tools are available for free and others have paid options but, these are the ones we recommend to you: