What is the difference between music Pre-Saves and Pre-Orders?

Learn about the key differences between music Pre-Saves and Pre-Orders, and why they matter from our friends at Horus Music.

by Horus Music

A pre-save or pre-order campaign is a highly effective method for generating buzz around your music before your release date hits. Many artists aren’t aware that there is a difference between a pre-order and a pre-save. Whilst they have similar functions, the difference between the two, and why they are equally as important is essential knowledge for any DIY artist.

A pre-save allows artists to add an upcoming release to their listening library ahead of time on streaming platforms such as Spotify. When a listener pre-saves your release, this boosts your internal algorithm which in turn, will expand your music’s reach across platforms and increase the likeliness of landing on features such as playlists, auto-play and Spotify radio.

Utilising the pre-save feature also gives artists something to shout about ahead of release date. Pre-release promotion is fundamental for success in the modern music industry. With most campaigns running ahead of release date to create the biggest impact possible on release day. Having a pre-save link visible on social media and in your press release when reaching out to contacts provides a tool to reach an even wider audience, especially new listeners.

So, what is the difference between a pre-save and pre-order?

As discussed, a pre-save is a feature specifically for streaming stores to add music to a user’s listening library ahead of time. A pre-order relates to download stores such as Beatport and allows listeners to purchase the track before the official release date. If you are pre-ordering an album, it may be that your pre-order also includes any already released tracks downloaded for you to listen to and enjoy. This generates revenue ahead of time for you as an artist as users must purchase the download.

How Horus Does It

Through Horus Music, we ensure you earn 100% of your royalties on both our subscription and pay-per release package options, so having a pre-order campaign set up can help artists maximise revenue before releases are fully available on stores.

If you are looking to set up a pre-save campaign for your next release, Horus Music offer our artists $10 off through our partnership with Feature FM. You can claim your exclusive discount here.

For pre-order set up, simply add on your chosen pre-order date during your My Music Distribution Zone upload and contact our team for the relevant links at alr@horusmusic.co.uk. Prev