Pre-orders are live across the whole store. From today, any release scheduled for a future date can be bought before it drops — digital or vinyl — and if you're not ready to commit, you can set a free release-day reminder instead with one click. No pressure, no payment, just a nudge the morning it lands. Here's how the whole thing works, whichever side of the counter you're on.
For Buyers: Two Ways to Never Miss a Release
When a release is scheduled ahead of its street date, you'll spot it easily: the artwork carries an orange Pre-order badge with a countdown, and the buy buttons turn orange wherever you find the record — the releases grid, the release's own page, or the dedicated Pre-Orders hub (you'll find that in the header menu and the footer too).
From there you've got two options:
- Pre-order it. Pay now — same price as release day, no premium — and your copy is locked in. Your downloads sit safely in your account showing exactly when they unlock, and at release-day o'clock the order completes itself: downloads open up and an email lands in your inbox with everything ready to grab. Vinyl pre-orders work the same way, with your record reserved from the pressing.
- Set a free reminder. Under every pre-order button there's a second option: "Not ready to buy? Get a release-day reminder — free." One click (you'll need a free Fresh Wax account, so we know where to send it) and we'll email you the morning it's out with a link straight to the release. One email, no follow-ups, no strings.
Either way, you'll never find out about a release two weeks late again.
For Labels & Artists: One Date Does Everything
There's nothing new to learn and no extra buttons to press. When you upload a release, just give it a release date in the future — that's it. The moment it's approved, the entire store flips into pre-order mode for you automatically:
- Your release appears on the Pre-Orders hub and across the store with the countdown badge.
- Buyers can pay upfront from day one — money in before the release is even out.
- Downloads stay locked until your street date, so nothing leaks early. On the day, every pre-order completes and every buyer gets their music automatically — nothing for you to send out.
- The free reminder list quietly counts heads in the background. That's real demand data: if you're weighing up a vinyl pressing, ask us how much interest a release is pulling and we'll share the numbers.
Pre-orders count like any other sale — same splits, same payouts, same everything. The only difference is when the money arrives: earlier.
Why Bother Pre-Ordering?
- Guaranteed copy — vinyl runs in this scene are small and gone fast. A pre-order is your name on one before the pressing sells through.
- Same price — pre-ordering costs exactly what it'll cost on release day.
- Zero effort on the day — the music turns up in your account and inbox while you're still asleep.
- It backs the release — early sales tell a label their record is landing, and that keeps the records coming.
Quick Answers
- When am I charged? Immediately, at pre-order — it's a normal checkout. The wait is only for the music.
- When do I get my downloads? The moment the release date arrives, automatically — you'll get an email, and they'll be waiting in your account.
- Does the free reminder cost anything or sign me up to a mailing list? No and no. It's one email about that one release, ever.
- Do I need an account? For the free reminder, yes (it's where we get your email). For pre-ordering — same as any purchase.
- I run a label — how do I get my next release up as a pre-order? Upload as normal and set the release date ahead. Not on Fresh Wax yet? Get in touch or create an account and apply from your dashboard.
The first pre-orders will be appearing on the hub as labels schedule their next drops — keep an eye on it, or just wait for the orange badges to find you.
