A Tip From the Pros: Don't Plan Your Release Show Until After Your Test Presses are approved!
Okay, so you've just finished your record. Like, actually finished it. The songs are recorded, the masters are done, the artwork is locked, and you are ready. We know very well the urge to immediately text your favorite venue, pick a date, and start hyping the show of your life. But before you hit send on that booking inquiry, we want to share a little tip from years of working in vinyl production - things we wish more artists knew going in. It's simple, it comes from a good place, and it could save you a whole lot of stress down the road: hold off on planning your release show until your test presses are approved.
Here's the thing about making records - it's one of the most beautifully hands-on processes in all of music. Lacquers get cut, stampers get plated, records get pressed one by one on machines that have been doing this for decades. It's kind of magical, honestly.
But magic doesn't run on a strict schedule. Production timelines can shift for all kinds of reasons - a busy season at the plant, a machine that needs a little TLC, a run ahead of yours that ends up taking a bit longer than expected. None of it is anyone's fault, it's just the nature of the craft.
If your release show date is already locked in, those little hiccups can turn into big headaches. But if you've kept your calendar open? No big deal, you just adjust and keep moving.
We say this with full love for postal workers everywhere, but: things get lost sometimes. Test presses make a journey from the plant to you, and sometimes back again with your notes, and occasionally they just... don't show up when they're supposed to.
It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens enough that it's worth keeping in mind. A delayed or missing test press means waiting for new ones to be made and shipped, which means your timeline needs a little wiggle room. Having a firm show date already on the calendar makes that wiggle room really hard to find.
This is honestly the biggest reason we bring this up, and it's actually a good thing - because the test press stage exists to catch issues before your whole run gets pressed.
When your test presses arrive, you get to sit down and really listen. Does everything sound the way you heard it in your head? Are the levels right? Does the needle track smoothly all the way through side B? Are the plates in good shape? Sometimes you'll put it on and it'll be absolutely perfect - and that is such a great feeling.
But sometimes something small needs to be corrected. A stamper might need attention, or a lacquer might need to be recut. It's not common, but it happens, and when it does, it takes a little extra time. That's totally okay! That's why the process exists. It's just a lot more okay when you haven't already announced a release date to your whole following.
Making a record is really a team sport. There are lacquer cutters, printers, heck even the UPS. And just like you, they're all juggling multiple projects and doing their best to keep everything moving.
Every now and then, a rush project comes in, or schedules shift in ways nobody planned for. It's just part of working in a collaborative, human industry. When your timeline has a little flexibility built in, those moments are just part of the process. When your release show is already announced, they feel a lot more stressful than they need to be.
At the end of the day, that's really what this is about. Your album release show should feel like a party - carefree, exciting, and fully focused on celebrating something you worked incredibly hard to create.
The best way to set yourself up for that? Wait until those test presses come back approved, then shout it from the rooftops. Book the show, announce the date, and know with full confidence that the record is on its way.
