The Release Ledger
One artist. Every release. The actual numbers.
Hear the music ↗
MusicDataRealityProgress
Independent music · Verified first-hand data
What it actually costs to release the music
Every invoice we have. Every result we can verify. Nothing estimated.
Latest release file
Verified
Unknown costs marked unknown
File 003
18 Sep 2026
18 Sep 2026
YourKingdom
First
Your Kingdom First
9Tracks
R538Cost of one ad click
18,928Video views
4Spotify followers
14 shorts, views eachYouTube, organic
Views per short
Real dataReal outcomesSame journeyDifferent artists
Real figures only
Failures included
AI-produced music disclosed
No affiliate listicles
Updated 18 Sep 2026
The latest from the books
Same data. A clearer industry.
Costs
Campaigns
Outcomes
Reality
Campaigns
Outcomes
Reality
Cost file · Drafted
The real cost of releasing an independent album in 2026
One campaign produced a R538 click. Cover art is excluded because no invoice exists.
Reach
Conversion
Reality
Conversion
Reality
Performance file
18,928 views. Four Spotify followers.
A breakdown of reach, conversion and what the data actually shows.
Facts
Over
Assumptions
Over
Assumptions
Industry context
What we know, what we don’t, and why we don’t estimate.
A look at the limits of the data, the unknowns, and why they matter.
Checkable specifics
Every claim links to a real source, from invoices to platform data.
First-hand outcomes
Real results from an actual independent release, including the failures.
Built to be cited
Transparent methodology, clear sourcing, reproducible data.
Independentmusic datafor a clearertomorrow