Types of Songs to Release, Based on Month

In light of certain moods fitting certain months (eg. people getting into working out in New Year, love songs around Valentines day, Christmas songs for Christmas, etc) here are some ideas for what month to you might want to release your song, if it fits a certain criteria:

January

People have that “new year, new me” vibe and are pumped to start a new chapter in their lives, make changes, start working out, etc. So if you have a song that fits one of these criteria, consider releasing in January:

• Positive message
• Upbeat / let’s go type of vibe
• Workout music

February

February is the month of Valentines Day. So a good month for:

• Love songs
• Anti-love songs (for those that are single and reminded of their single-ness)
• Any type of relationship song, good or bad

Friday, February 10th 2023 would be a good day to release a song with the theme of love / relationship, since Valentines Day falls on Tuesday, February 14th (in 2023… adjust to your given year).

March

Springtime is coming around in March, so consider these types of tracks as optimal for releasing this month:

• Upbeat, happy, party-type tunes (people will start going outside, as it starts to get warmer in various parts of the world in March)
• Light, positive, feel-good messages

April

It’s still springtime vibes, so similar to March. But it’s also tax-season (in the US, at least), so songs related to money (or lack thereof) could do well.

• Upbeat, happy, party-type tunes
• Light, positive, feel-good messages
• Songs about money (having lots, losing it, being poor, anything money-related)

May

Summertime is just around the corner. Music festivals and summer vacation here we come.

• Celebration
• Upbeat / Energetic
• Party Anthems
• Summertime songs

June – July

Same as May, but add beach themes, as people will start hitting the shores.

• Beach / Tropical
• Celebration
• Upbeat / Energetic
• Party Anthems
• Summertime songs

August

Same as above, summer is nearly over, but summer party vibes are still in full effect for college and university students, as they’ll be going back to school and partying it up in the dorms with their friends. The beginning of the school year is quite chill, after all.

• Beach / Tropical
• Celebration
• Upbeat / Energetic
• Party Anthems
• Summertime songs

September

The music industry is back from vacation and in full swing, and students are back in school (and sharing their favorite new music by word-of-mouth), so it’s a good time for releasing new material.

Things are cooling down, leaves are falling, and people will be spending more time inside, looking out the window at a rainy day scene whilst reflecting upon the difficult questions of life.

This gives us the opportunity to change up the vibe from summer fun to more serious and melancholy topics:

• Melancholy / darker / moody themes
• Philosophical / poetic / spoken word
• Cozy music
• Ambient
• Study music (think Aphex Twin or Lo-Fi beats for a rainy day)
• Alternative
• Folk

October

Same as above, but factor in that Halloween is October 31st:

• Spooky Halloween music
• Melancholy / darker / moody themes
• Philosophical / poetic / spoken word
• Cozy music
• Ambient
• Study music (think Aphex Twin or Lo-Fi beats for a rainy day)
• Alternative
• Folk

November – December

NOTE: Remember to release earlier in November, as the further into November you get, the more people get distracted with Thanksgiving (and the holiday season in general). Also, music industry professionals will be more absent from their desks around this time.

That being said… since we’re getting close to the holiday season, and most big artists will be releasing music in the 4th quarter (to take advantage of the spike in holiday retail sales)… consider releasing music related to the holidays, as otherwise you can get lost in the noise.

• Christmas / Holiday music, or anything that might fit that theme

Conclusion

You don’t need to necessarily write a specific song for a specific time of year (though it would be a good exercise to do so). But it’s definitely worthwhile paying attention to the fact that releasing a Christmas carol in March is not a very good idea.

Consider putting some thought into which of your songs you will be releasing when.
I hope this list helps you to curate your releases based on the time of year.