What is a pre-order with exclusive early tracks?

A pre-order with exclusive early tracks lets a fan buy the album ahead of release day and start listening straight away. Selected tracks unlock on the artist’s storefront as soon as the purchase goes through, and the rest of the record unlocks on release day.

What the fan experiences

The fan pays, and the early tracks play straight away. There is no waiting and no code to redeem. The rest of the album unlocks automatically on release day, with nothing for them to do. A fan who buys after street date gets everything at once. The album can still go wide on streaming at release, so early access on the storefront runs alongside your streaming plan.

How much music can come early

For US Billboard/Luminate campaigns, up to four tracks can come early, or no more than half the album on releases of eight tracks or fewer. For UK OCC campaigns, the cap is 50% of the album. In both cases, the count includes exclusive early-access tracks and tracks already available on streaming services. Confirm the applicable territory rules with EVEN.

All at once or staggered

You can do either. Tracks can all unlock the moment the pre-order opens, or they can stagger across the window so music keeps arriving as the campaign builds toward release day. You can also keep track titles hidden until their unlock date.

What locks when pre-orders open

On chart campaigns the tracklist and the track count lock, and you cannot add to the album after purchase or release. Fans see the release date and tracklist from the moment they pre-order, and both hold for the whole window. You can still change the minimum price, but chart floors always apply, and your EVEN team makes the change so the chart bodies are notified.

If a pre-order does not suit the campaign

You have two other ways to release. A standard release puts the album on sale and gives fans the whole record when they buy. A surprise drop works too: your EVEN team builds the site and holds it until the moment you announce.