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Music vocabulary · The Music Industry

Release

Meaning in music, with examples

/rɪˈliːs/verbCore term

In music, release means: To make a song, album or video available to the public, for example on streaming platforms, in shops or on video sites.

In Turkish: yayımlamak, çıkarmak, piyasaya sürmek

How it is used

Artists and labels release music, plan a 'release date' and run a 'release campaign'. The noun is also common: 'a new release', 'the album's release'. Most new music worldwide comes out on Fridays. 'Drop' is the informal word: 'They dropped a new single'.

Example sentences

  1. We're releasing the first single in March and the full album in May.

  2. Upload your music at least three weeks before the release date.

Common collocations

  • release an album
  • release date
  • new release
  • self-release
  • release campaign
  • singleOne song released on its own, often to promote an upcoming album or to keep listeners interested between larger releases.
  • EPShort for extended play: a release longer than a single but shorter than an album, usually with about four to six tracks.
  • streamingListening to music over the internet without downloading it to keep, through services such as Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music. It is now the main source of recorded-music income.
  • record labelA company that finances, releases, distributes and promotes recordings, usually in exchange for ownership of the recordings or a share of their income.
  • masteringThe final stage of audio production, in which finished mixes are polished, made consistent in loudness and tone, and prepared for streaming, CD or vinyl.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: The Music Industry

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