Having a track chart in the Beatport Top 100 (or the Hype 100) is one of the best ways to get noticed by other DJs and promoters. But unless you are a massive name, it is incredibly hard to get enough sales on release day to make a dent.
The best way to increase your chances? The Pre-Order.
How Beatport Pre-Orders Help You Chart
Beatport allows labels to put tracks up for “Pre-Order” usually for 2 to 4 weeks before the official release date.
Here’s the secret: Every sale you get during the pre-order period counts towards your chart position on release day.
If you sell 50 copies in the weeks leading up to your release, Beatport counts all of those sales as if they happened the moment the track went live. instead of starting from zero, you launch with a massive spike in momentum.
This is how brand new tracks suddenly appear in the Top 100.
Why You Should Go “Exclusive” on Beatport
When your distributor asks if you want to be “Exclusive to Beatport,” for a time period before releasing on the other download stores, if you are aiming to chart, the answer is yes (usually for 2 or 4 weeks).
Visibility: Beatport saves the majority of the best marketing spots (Banners and “New Release” tiles) for exclusive tracks. If you aren’t exclusive, the editorial team are more likely to ignore your music.
Focus: By making it exclusive, you force all your buyers to one place. Instead of splitting 10 sales between iTunes, Traxsource, and Juno, you get 10 sales on Beatport. That concentration helps you climb the chart faster.
The Hype 100: You can’t get into the Hype Charts unless you are an exclusive release.
The Problem: Spotify vs. Beatport
Promoting a pre-order is tricky. DJs may want to buy it on Beatport, but your casual fans just want to pre-save it on Spotify. You don’t want to post two different links and confuse people.
The Fix: Use a Soundplate Clicks smart link.
Soundplate Clicks allows you to put a Beatport Pre-Order button and a Spotify Pre-Save button on the same fan link.
DJs click “Pre-Order” (helping your chart position). Fans click “Pre-Save” (helping your stream count).
The Beatport Promotion Timeline:
4-8 Weeks Out: The Upload
Tell your distributor/label you want a Beatport Exclusive release (2 weeks minimum). This puts you in the running for banners and editorial support. Make sure you get all your promotion information, DJ feedback and info on the ‘story’ of the track over to your distributor in plenty of time to allow the song to be pitched for editorial support.
3 Weeks Out: The Link
Log in to Soundplate Clicks:
- Create a new link and set the release date.
- Activate Pre-Save: Turn on the Spotify/Apple Pre-Save feature.
- Add the Pre-Order: Paste your Beatport Pre-Order URL into the “Music Links” section.
Now you have one songlink for everything.
2 Weeks Out: The Push
Send that link to your email list, your Discord, or your close friends who actually buy music.
Make sure to tell them that the pre-order helps you hit the charts. Share the smart link across all of your social media and include it in the bio of all social platforms.
Release Day: The Switch
Log back into Soundplate Clicks and add your public links (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.). Your “Pre-Order” button automatically turns into a “Buy” button. You keep using the same link, and all your fans get the music instantly.