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Artist guide

The step-by-step guide for launching on Albumdrop.

This guide is for artists who want to understand how Albumdrop works from first setup to live release, upgrades, vaults, communities, and supporter monetisation.

Open drops workspace View pricingExplore private membershipDJ? Open DJ/Mix guide

Step 1

Create your account

Join Albumdrop, verify your email from the one-click link, and land inside the dashboard ready to build your first drop.

Step 2

Complete DJ / Artist profile

Open `/dashboard/profile` to set stage name, slug, bio, genres, city, profile image, and banner once for all drop types.

Step 3

Create a drop

Go to `/dashboard/drops`, click Create drop, then choose Album or Mix. Existing create flows still power each drop type underneath.

Step 4

Publish and grow support

Share your public drop pages, set profile spotlight, and use supporters + communities to retain fans beyond the first play.

1. Start here

  • Use `/join` to create your account and land directly in the dashboard.
  • If you skip verification at first, you can keep drafting and editing; verify before publish and paid checkout actions.
  • If you change your login email in Dashboard > Settings > Profile, verify the new address before your next sensitive action.
  • Free is for first launches: unlimited drafts, up to 2 live releases, and platform payments.
  • Pro is for artists running repeat campaigns with up to 10 live releases at once.
  • Teams is for labels, managers, and collectives running multiple artists.

2. Create your first drop (Album or Mix)

  • Go to Dashboard > Profile first to complete DJ / Artist profile basics.
  • Open Dashboard > Drops as the primary management workspace.
  • Use Create drop and choose Album or Mix.
  • Add release details, credits, pricing suggestions, and supporter tiers.
  • Album audio upload now supports MP3 and WAV.
  • Use Artist collaboration to credit additional main/featured artists and set their view/edit access.
  • Set per-song featured/additional artists inside each uploaded track card when needed.
  • Upload artwork and at least one track before publishing.
  • Use explicit content indicators for albums when needed.
  • Use draft mode to preview everything before supporters can pay.

3. Publish and keep it live

  • Free artists can publish up to 2 live releases.
  • When Free limits are reached, pages can remain streamable, but new publish actions require extension or upgrade.
  • Upgrade to Pro to keep building beyond Free limits.
  • Pro artists can run up to 10 live releases at the same time. Teams removes that live-release ceiling.
  • Legacy album and mix pages remain active during migration, but Drops is the primary flow.

4. Set up supporter monetisation

  • Use one-time support tiers for quick conversions.
  • Use monthly support for recurring backers and supporter clubs.
  • Enable "Subscribe for free updates (no payment)" to capture listeners who are not ready to pay yet.
  • Thank-you downloads are the reward layer, not the product itself.
  • Supporter walls, community access, perks, and follow-up flows help turn casual listeners into real supporters.

5. Upgrade when the campaign gets serious

  • Upgrade to Pro for custom domains, supporter + subscriber CSV export, branding removal, video uploads, and better analytics.
  • Find exports under Dashboard > Supporters using "Export supporters CSV" and "Export subscribers CSV".
  • Choose Teams when you need multi-artist coordination, shared billing, and broader operational capacity.
  • Platform-admin pricing controls change what the plans cost, but the product story should stay consistent for artists.
  • If you need strategy and execution help, Premium Launch is the white-glove lane.

6. Use vaults and membership features

  • Vaults are for gated content that rewards paying supporters and members.
  • Use them for private drops, bonus content, early access, exclusive supporter updates, or conversation follow-ups.
  • Membership works best when your supporter tiers have clear identity and benefits.
  • Think of vaults and communities as retention tools, not just content storage.

7. Run your supporter community

  • Each album can have a private supporter community with artist announcements and pinned discussion topics.
  • Artist thread creation is available by default; supporter thread creation is controlled by your album community setting.
  • Artists manage those threads from Dashboard > Membership, alongside tiers, bonuses, and vault content.
  • Supporters re-enter with a one-click email link, so the conversation stays accessible after checkout.
  • Album community access supports paid supporters and active subscribers tied to that album community.
  • Use the community for release updates, milestone discussion, bonus reminders, and member-only context around the project.

8. Payments, payouts, and billing

  • Starter uses platform payments by default.
  • Paid plans unlock more control, including BYO gateway options where enabled.
  • Billing pages show plan details, live-release limits, and publish-extension paths.
  • If an upgrade payment remains pending or fails, Billing now surfaces a clear retry prompt so artists can complete checkout.
  • Payout setup matters early, even if you are still testing your first launch.

9. Marketing and launch readiness

  • Use pixels and attribution only after consent is configured correctly.
  • Share one clear drop link instead of splitting traffic across too many destinations.
  • Use the new "Book this artist" CTA on album, DJ, mix, and discovery surfaces to collect booking leads.
  • Discovery pages now ship richer social sharing metadata and preview images so shared links look intentional.
  • Strong pricing tiers, clear supporter perks, visible community access, and a polished landing page improve conversion more than generic promotion alone.
  • Premium Launch exists for teams that want launch ROI support beyond self-serve setup.

10. Common questions

  • If you cannot publish, check artwork, tracks, terms acceptance, and plan limits first.
  • If support is disabled, confirm the release is live and the Starter access window has not expired.
  • If pricing looks wrong, check your billing settings and current plan.
  • If you are on Pro and need your supporter/subscriber list, export from Dashboard > Supporters.
  • If you are unsure what to upgrade to, choose Pro before Teams unless you are actively managing multiple artists.

11. Mixdrop legal and community rules

  • Mixes are stream-first. Do not expect default download access for DJ mixes.
  • Upload only mixes where you hold required rights or permissions for the included material.
  • DMCA/infringement notices are tracked with claim references and can trigger takedowns and strikes.
  • Use mix community tools to create threads, lock/pin conversations, and moderate replies.