Finishing a track is not the same as releasing it.
The master can be done for weeks while the boring work is still open: cover art, metadata, ISRC/UPC, distributor intake, smart links, store assets, and the page on your own site. Skip any of those and the music still exists — it just doesn't arrive anywhere cleanly.
The last mile we care about
For Aqualis releases we treat the last mile as part of the product:
- Art that holds up at thumbnail size — square, readable, not a crop accident
- Metadata that matches reality — title, artist, label, release date
- One smart link — LANDR/Linkfire so platforms stay in sync
- Direct store buttons on Music for people who already know where they listen
- Homepage feature when it's the latest ship
The Things We Know is the template for that path: studio → package → distribute → wire the site.
Why the site matters
Streaming pages change. Algorithms bury. Your own domain is the only place you fully control the story of the catalog.
That's why promo links live in content files next to cover paths — so Music, Artists, and Home stay consistent without hunting through three different tools.
