Friday release planning calendar
For Friday releases in the late-2026 holiday window, current distributor-facing guidance uses the following practical delivery dates.
| Release date | Deliver to Apple by |
|---|---|
| 27 November 2026 | 20 November 2026 |
| 4 December 2026 | 27 November 2026 |
| 11 December 2026 | 4 December 2026 |
| 18 December 2026 | 11 December 2026 |
| 25 December 2026 | 18 December 2026 |
| 1 January 2027 | 25 December 2026 |
Why the deadline is not your submission date
A store cutoff assumes a clean release is already ready to leave the distributor. Your submission still has to clear review. A cover can fail artwork rules, an artist profile can need correction, credits can be incomplete, or a track can require clarification before it is sent.
For a holiday release, several weeks of lead time is a much stronger operating plan than aiming at the final store date. Extra time also helps with pre-save campaigns, artist-profile claiming and editorial pitching.
What should be finished before you submit
- Final masters for every track — not placeholders or mixes you still expect to replace.
- Final cover artwork that already meets store requirements.
- Primary and featured artist names exactly as they should appear in stores.
- Songwriter, producer and contributor credits.
- Release date, territories, label information and store selections.
- Royalty split percentages and collaborator email addresses.
Why Apple may show slightly different dates
Apple Music Provider Support publishes its holiday schedule in a provider calendar that can show adjacent dates from distributor-facing Friday planning tables. When two published schedules differ, NORTH recommends using the earlier and more conservative date.
