What are pre-saves & pre-adds?

What is a "Pre-Save"?

A pre-save is similar to a pre-order in that you can promote a release before the actual release date and set a call to action for fans to interact with it.

A pre-order works in such a way that you can receive purchases for a release before the release date, but the user will not receive the release until the release date arrives. A pre-save is similar, but because of streaming, the user cannot listen to the album immediately, they can simply "save" it to their libraries so that the release is available to listen to once it is released.

For Spotify specifically, a pre-save campaign allows your fans to connect with Spotify and automatically add an upcoming album or single to their Spotify library when it is released. Additionally, fans can automatically add the song to a playlist.

What is a "Pre-Add"?

A pre-add is similar to a pre-save, except it is the term used for Apple Music.

Your fans on Apple Music can save your entire album and listen to it as soon as it's released, while some tracks are available to listen to immediately.

This gives you a larger window of time to market your music before the release date AND at the same time drive targeted promotions on Apple Music. Just like with pre-saves on Spotify, all the interest your fans show during the pre-add period will help your new music gain greater popularity on release day and boost your first-day stream count.