The end of the year is coming. Are your releases ready? Not only are the last six weeks of the year the busiest time to release music, many shops and streaming platforms are closed or have limited support during the winter holidays. If you have releases planned in December or early January, take a look at the deadlines and tips below to make sure your release plan goes, well, according to plan.

In creating these deadlines, we’ve taken the deadlines set by the stores and added a few days to conduct a quality assurance check, process, and send your tracks to the stores and platforms. Please bear in mind that these are hard deadlines. That means your release has to meet the release requirements, with the music uploaded in the proper format, the album artwork approved, and everything submitted by this date. Also, if there are problems with the quality of your release or we don’t have everything we need when you submit, your release might not make store or platform deadlines — so submit early!

EQ stands for equalization, and it is one of the most important tools in music production. EQ is used to adjust the balance of frequencies in a sound, which can be used to improve the clarity, intelligibility, and overall sound of a track. 

EQ stands for equalization, and it is one of the most important tools in music production. EQ is used to adjust the balance of frequencies in a sound, which can be used to improve the clarity, intelligibility, and overall sound of a track.

There are two main types of EQ: subtractive and additive. Subtractive EQ is used to reduce the level of unwanted frequencies, while additive EQ is used to boost the level of desired frequencies.

EQ can be used on individual tracks, as well as on the entire mix. When EQing individual tracks, the goal is to make each track sound its best and to fit in well with the rest of the mix. When EQing the entire mix, the goal is to create a balance between all of the tracks and to achieve a polished and professional sound.

Here are some of the best EQ to use in your music production

• FabFilter Pro-Q 3 is one of the most popular and versatile EQ plugins available. It has a wide range of features, including a spectral analyzer, mid/side processing, and multiple filter types. Pro-Q 3 is also very user-friendly, with a clear and intuitive interface.

• The iZotope Ozone 10 EQ is another excellent option for music production. It has a clean and straightforward interface, and it offers a variety of features that make it easy to shape your sound. The Ozone 10 EQ also includes a number of presets that can help you get started quickly.

• Sonible Smart:EQ 3 is a dynamic EQ plugin that uses artificial intelligence to automatically identify and remove harsh frequencies. It's a great tool for improving the clarity and intelligibility of vocals, as well as for reducing unwanted resonances in other instruments.

• The Waves F6 Dynamic EQ is another powerful dynamic EQ plugin. It has six bands, each with its own independent threshold and gain controls. This allows you to very precisely control the dynamics of your sound. The F6 Dynamic EQ is also very versatile, and it can be used on a wide range of instruments and vocals.

• The Brainworx Amek EQ 200 is a plugin that emulates the sound of the classic Amek EQ 200 analog EQ. It has a warm and musical sound, and it's a great choice for adding character to your tracks. The Amek EQ 200 is also very versatile, and it can be used on a wide range of instruments and vocals.

• Soundtheory Gullfoss is a mastering EQ plugin that is designed to help you achieve a polished and professional sound. It has a number of features that make it ideal for mastering, such as linear phase EQ, M/S processing, and a variety of presets.

• SoundRadix SurferEQ 2 is a mid/side EQ plugin that allows you to independently EQ the mid and side channels of your signal. This is a great way to improve the stereo image of your mix and to create more space and separation between your instruments.

Choosing to use any of these EQ plugin options will help elevate your audio production to the next level, but whichever one you choose to use is up to you and your own production preferences.

Do you want to get your music video on VEVO? Are you looking to set up an official VEVO artist channel, even though you're unsigned?
VEVO provides premium music video content for some of the world’s biggest artists. Through Highvibes Distribution, you can now set up your own VEVO channel and get discovered worldwide on the most popular music video platform out there.

Any artists or labels who distribute content via Highvibes Distribution can to set-up their own VEVO channel and receive royalties whenever their music video is viewed on the platform. You can only upload your music videos or set up a new artist channel through one of Vevo’s official partners. When you upload videos to Vevo through Highvibes Distribution, you’ll keep 100% of your royalties, so every penny you earn through the platform goes straight into your pocket. 

Once you’ve created your Highvibes account, you’ll be able to upload your music video through your personal dashboard. As soon as we receive your video, we’ll transfer it straight to Vevo. To avoid delays and problem with the upload process, it’s important to make sure your video adhere to Vevo’s rules.

After uploading your music video to VEVO it can take up to 10 days to appear on the platform if you don’t already have an artist page set up. If you already have a profile established on Vevo, your video will usually take between 24 – 48 hours to go live.

CLICK HERE TO UPLOAD YOUR MUSIC VIDEO TO VEVO

In order to distribute a DJ mix to Apple Music, you'll need to meet a few metadata requirements. Here's what you need to know to successfully deliver a DJ mix.

Just to be clear, A DJ mix is "an album containing multiple tracks overlaid or otherwise mixed together for continuous play." 

1. DJ Mix albums must NOT be delivered as a single audio file. It does need to be delivered as separate tracks.
2. The release must list the DJ or artist at the album level and identify them as primary.
3. Tracks that appear on DJ mixes must list the original artists as primary.
4. DJ Mix albums must include a title version of "(DJ Mix)" in the album-level version information. 
5. Mixed tracks appearing on a DJ Mix must include the title version [Mixed] after all other version information.

Here's an example: