What a pre-add is
When an Apple Music subscriber pre-adds an upcoming album, it appears in their library straight away, marked as not yet released. On release day it becomes playable from their library without them doing anything. If some tracks are already out before the album (often called instant-gratification tracks), those can usually be played right away.
For you, the effect is similar to a Spotify pre-save: the release is in the listener’s library on day one.
Why pre-add depends on your distributor
Apple can only show a pre-add button for a release it already has in its catalog as an upcoming release. That listing is created when your distributor delivers the release to Apple ahead of time, typically set up as a pre-order. Without it, there is nothing for a listener to add.
What this means in practice depends on your distributor:
- Some distributors let you switch on an Apple Music / iTunes pre-order when you upload. Others do it on request, or only for certain release types or plans.
- Requirements such as the minimum lead time, whether singles qualify and whether you need an instant-gratification track are set by Apple and your distributor and change over time.
- Apple needs time to process the delivery, so the upcoming listing usually appears some days after you submit, not immediately.
The reliable way to find out is your distributor’s help pages or support. Ask the question in these words: “Can you set this release up as a pre-order on Apple Music so it can be pre-added?”
Setting it up, step by step
Ask your distributor for a pre-order
When you upload the release, check whether your distributor can set it up as a pre-order on Apple Music / iTunes, and turn it on. Some do it with a checkbox, some on request.
Leave enough lead time
Upload well before release day. Apple has to receive and process the release before the upcoming listing exists.
Find the Apple Music address
Once Apple lists the release as upcoming, it has a music.apple.com address. Your distributor may send it to you, or you can search for it in Apple Music.
Add it to your release page
Paste that Apple Music link into your listenthru page (or let listenthru find it). When the release is upcoming on Apple Music, the Apple Music button becomes a pre-add button.
Share and watch the count
Pre-adds made on your page appear in the dashboard under Before release day, and each one also counts as a click through to Apple Music.
Pre-add right on your own page
Usually a pre-add link sends listeners to Apple Music to finish there. On a listenthru page, a listener who taps Apple Music before release day can pre-add without leaving your page: they connect their Apple Music account the first time, and the release goes into their library. The button then shows that it is in their library.
listenthru looks for the upcoming Apple Music listing automatically every few hours, so if your page was made before Apple published it, pre-add switches on once it appears. If Apple Music pre-add is not available for some reason, the button simply opens Apple Music, as a normal link would.
What you see in the numbers
- Pre-adds on Apple Music since the page was made, in the dashboard’s Before release day panel.
- Each pre-add also counts as a click through to Apple Music in Insights, so you can compare it with other services.
- Where the visits that led to pre-adds came from, with the same sources as every other click.
When pre-add is not possible
Sometimes a pre-order is not offered for a release, or Apple has not listed it in time. That does not leave Apple Music listeners with nothing:
- Your page still shows Apple Music; before release day the button opens Apple Music, and from release day it leads to the release.
- Listeners can ask for a release-day email or add the date to their calendar from your page, whichever service they use.
- Your next release can be planned with a longer lead time and a pre-order from the start.
On release day
The release becomes playable in the library of everyone who pre-added it. From release day, listenthru also points the page’s pre-save links at the release on each service, so the same link keeps working. See the pre-save link guide for the full release-day switch.
Questions
Is Apple Music pre-add the same as a Spotify pre-save?
They do the same job — the release is in the listener’s library on release day — but they work differently. A pre-add needs Apple to list the release as upcoming, usually through a pre-order set up by your distributor.
Why does my page not show pre-add?
Most often because Apple Music has not published the upcoming release yet. listenthru checks every few hours. Ask your distributor whether Apple Music pre-order is turned on for the release.
Do listeners need an Apple Music subscription?
Adding to an Apple Music library needs an Apple Music account. Listeners connect it once when they pre-add from your page.
Does a pre-add count in my stats?
Yes. listenthru counts each pre-add made on your page, and each also counts as a click through to Apple Music.