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No. 33Release & Reversion
Also called release timeline, release date obligation, delivery to release window
The maximum time between delivering your recording and the label commercially releasing it.
Watch closely
A long or undefined window renders a release commitment practically unenforceable.
The release window defines the outer boundary, from approved delivery to commercial release. A common window is 12 months. Unlike a simple release commitment, the release window is a measurable, calendar-based obligation. If the label misses it, the release commitment has been breached.
Without a tight release window, 'release commitment' clauses can be satisfied by releases that are commercially negligible or deliberately delayed to suit the label's calendar.
The same clause is drafted three ways. These are the positions we see, worst first, so you can tell at a glance which one is in front of you.
The drafting language and the negotiation moves for this clause are part of the workspace.
You have read what the clause means and where the risk sits. The rest is the side-by-side of how it reads when it is against you and when it is not, plus the specific moves that get it there.