Let’s Get Physical: A Guide to Planning Your Physical Release
Planning A Physical Release? Start Earlier Than You Think!
Physical music continues to prove its value in 2026, with more than 9.2 million physical albums purchased in the UK between January and July – up 3.6% year-on-year. Vinyl LP sales were up an impressive 15.8%, while CDs still accounted for almost 4.8 million purchases.
Beyond the numbers, physical formats give fans something tangible, create additional campaign moments and open up opportunities across D2C, retail and live shows.
Whether you’re planning a standard product, a bespoke colour vinyl, specialist packaging or something more ambitious, the key piece of advice is simple: start the conversation as early as possible.
Why physical releases require more time
Unlike a digital release, manufacturing a physical product involves several stages before stock is ready to sell. Depending on the format and specification, these can include:
Agreeing the product specification and quantity
Obtaining and approving manufacturing costs
Supplying production-ready audio and artwork
Mechanical licensing and rights administration
Approving artwork proofs
Vinyl cutting, test pressings and production
Assembly and packing
Freight and delivery to the warehouse
Allowing time for stock to be booked in and supplied to retailers
Turnaround times can vary significantly depending on the format, manufacturer, product specification and time of year. A standard CD will generally be quicker to produce than vinyl, while coloured vinyl, specialist packaging, box sets and other bespoke elements can add further time.
Manufacturing lead times begin once the required production assets have been delivered, with final audio masters particularly important to supply early. Providing these promptly can allow test pressings to get underway while artwork is being finalised. However, supplying all audio, artwork and metadata together is the ideal scenario and gives you the best chance of achieving the quickest possible turnaround.
As a general guide, standard manufacturing lead times are currently around 6–10 weeks for vinyl and 4–8 weeks for CDs, although these timings can fluctuate considerably depending on the product, supplier capacity and time of year. Shorter turnarounds may sometimes be possible, but shouldn’t be assumed. If stock is needed alongside a digital release, tour, album launch or seasonal campaign, it’s important to work backwards from that date rather than the manufacturing date alone.
Don’t forget the retail timeline
Manufacturing is only one part of the process. You also need to allow time for the retail sell-in process. Depending on the territories involved and the scale of the campaign, presenting a release to retailers and confirming orders can take 4–10 weeks. Paid marketing opportunities and in-store activity may require even more notice, with marketing inventory at some larger independent stores sometimes booking up several months in advance.
Ideally, conversations around manufacturing, distribution and retail support should begin at least four months ahead of release.
Your Label Manager can confirm current timings and help build the most workable schedule based on your release plans.
What should you have ready?
To get the process moving, it helps to have as much of the following information ready as possible:
Release title and any version or subtitle
Artist and label name
Product format, such as CD, vinyl or cassette
Proposed specification and quantity
Release and pre-order dates
P and C lines
Genre
Barcode and catalogue number
Front pack shot artwork
Final mastered audio and track listing
ISRCs and track durations
Writer, contributor, producer and performer information
If you don’t yet have a barcode or catalogue number, these can be generated within Anthology.
Writer and publishing information is required for mechanical licensing administration, while accurate performer and contributor details – including PPL Performer IDs where available – can help support neighbouring rights reporting.
Did you know you can set up physical products in Anthology?
Anthology provides a central record for your physical product throughout its lifecycle – from quoting and manufacturing through to distribution, sales, stock management and royalties.
To get started, select + Create > + New Release, choose the relevant label and select Physical as the release type. You can then choose the format, enter the product information, upload artwork and build the track listing.
If a digital version of the release already exists in Anthology, you can reuse its track assets and metadata rather than entering everything again.
Once the format has been created, share it with your Label Manager so they can discuss specifications, obtain quotes and help coordinate manufacturing and distribution.
You can also monitor delivered inventory and warehouse stock through Orders > Physical Stock in Anthology.
Build physical into the campaign from the beginning
Physical shouldn’t be an afterthought added shortly before release. Building it into the initial campaign plan gives you more choice over formats, packaging and creative treatments – while reducing the risk of stock arriving after the key marketing moment.
Starting early also gives you time to consider:
Whether CD, vinyl or another format best suits the audience and budget
The right quantity to manufacture
Retail distribution versus D2C and live sales
Signed editions, bundles or exclusive variants
Pricing and the likely margin after manufacturing and fulfilment costs
Whether stock needs to arrive ahead of a particular show or campaign moment
A social media strategy that makes the most of the IRL appeal of a physical product
Thinking about releasing your next project physically? Set up the format in Anthology and speak to your Label Manager as early as possible. Our Physical Team can help shape the product, confirm current lead times and guide it from the initial quote through to finished stock.