Campaign Operations — Language Framework
The canonical reference. Same words everywhere.
THE FIVE PHASES
Every campaign moves through five phases. Each phase is defined by who knows the project exists. The audience widens as the project moves.
| Phase | Who is aware | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| PREP | Execs, A&R, Creative only. Fans: not aware. | Internal-internal. Recording happens here. Signing happens here. The project is being framed before anyone else is told. |
| PLAN | All RCA departments. Fans: still not aware. | Marketing plan being built. Departments brief and align. Timeline, budget, kickoff, creative direction all locked. Fans don't know yet. |
| ANNOUNCE | All RCA departments. Fans: aware. Anticipation building. | Public-facing begins. Single 1 out, pre-save, press, socials live. This is the anticipation period after the announcement. |
| RELEASE | All RCA departments. Fans: music actively rolling out. | Music or content actually out to the public. Longest phase — from first single all the way through full album release. |
| REVIEW | All RCA departments. Fans: project still live. | Working the project post-release. Performance analysis, continued momentum, looking back. Feeds back into Prep on the next campaign. |
The defining model: audience awareness. A phase changes when the audience widens. The public threshold — the most consequential transition — sits between PLAN and ANNOUNCE.
THE FOUR GATES
Five phases, four transitions between them. Each gate is a question. You don't move until the answer is yes.
| Gate | Between | Question | Key Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| READY TO PLAN? | PREP → PLAN | Do we know enough to build the plan? | Deal signed · Artist brief exists · Pod assigned · Baseline data pulled |
| READY TO ANNOUNCE? | PLAN → ANNOUNCE | Are we ready to go public? | Marketing plan locked · Timeline + budget approved · Kickoff held · Lead single ready |
| READY TO RELEASE? | ANNOUNCE → RELEASE | Is the release set up to land? | Masters QC’d · DSP pitches in · Radio + press confirmed · Pre-save live · Lead single out |
| READY TO REVIEW? | RELEASE → REVIEW | Has the release week landed clean? | All deliveries confirmed · Content calendar live · Release week activated · Focus track tracking |
The system says no, not us. Campaign Ops never approves or denies. The gate does. Campaign Ops helps you clear the gate.
THE WEEKLY CADENCE
Information flows forward through the week. Each day has a purpose.
| Day | Meeting | Type | Phase | Status | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MON | Production Meeting | Standup | All | Existing (Terenia tightening) | — |
| MON | Foundation Room | Working Session | PREP / PLAN | NEW | 30 min |
| TUE | Workability Check | Standup | PLAN | NEW | 15 min |
| TUE | SMT | Alignment | All | Existing | — |
| WED | Active Projects | Decision | ANNOUNCE + Trending | Restructured | 45 min |
| THU | A&R / President | Alignment | All | Existing (Ops routes changes) | — |
| FRI | Exec Scheduling | Decision | All | Existing (gate transitions happen here) | — |
| FRI | Release Wrap | Async | RELEASE / REVIEW | NEW | 0 min |
The flow: MON surfaces what's blocked → TUE catches PLAN blockers before SMT → WED makes decisions on ANNOUNCE artists → THU shifts A&R direction → FRI locks dates + results go out async.
Total new meeting time: 45 min (30 + 15). Wednesday drops from ~127 to 45. Net: less total time, every artist covered.
Campaign Ops is the connective tissue. Nobody discovers something Wednesday that was decided Tuesday.
THE ARTIST LIFECYCLE (RITUAL SPINE)
Six milestone-triggered meetings, mapped to phases and gates. Built on A&R Operations' Ritual Spine (Adonis Sutherlin, March 2026), updated with phase language.
| Meeting | Trigger | Owner | Phase / Gate | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Deal signed | A&R Ops | READY TO PLAN? | Working Session | 45 min |
| Pre-Kickoff | Onboarding done | Signing A&R | PLAN | Alignment | 30 min |
| Kickoff | Brief complete | A&R + Ops | READY TO ANNOUNCE? | Decision | 60 min |
| Blueprint Review | Kickoff signed off | Marketing | PLAN | Working Session (biweekly) | 30 min |
| Pre-Release Check | T-14 days | Ops + CL | READY TO RELEASE? | Standup | 15 min |
| Post-Release Wrap | T+14 days | CL + Ops | READY TO REVIEW? | Working Session | 30 min |
Shape, Then Build: A&R + Creative + Digital lock the story (shape). Marketing builds the system (build). We don't build what we haven't shaped.
FRIDAY RELEASE WRAP
Not a meeting. A weekly intelligence product compiled by Campaign Ops, distributed Friday afternoon.
Sections:
- What Released This Week — results from recent drops. CL submissions + trackGPS data.
- Playlist Recap — from Commercial Partnerships' weekly report. Major adds, position changes, editorial features.
- Press & Media Moments — big hits from Publicity. Interviews, TV, coverage.
- Trends & Signals — streaming signals from Analytics + social/cultural moments from Audience Dev.
- Looking Ahead — next week's releases + gate transitions (who passed a gate, who's approaching one).
Input sources: CL submissions (Airtable/email) · trackGPS · Commercial Partnerships weekly report · Publicity team · Audience Dev · Strategic Analytics.
HOW EVERYTHING MAPS
Meetings → Phases
| Phase | Weekly Meeting | Artist Meeting |
|---|---|---|
| PREP | Foundation Room (Mon) | Onboarding |
| PLAN | Foundation Room (Mon) / Workability Check (Tue) | Pre-Kickoff / Kickoff / Blueprint Reviews |
| ANNOUNCE | Active Projects (Wed) | Pre-Release Check |
| RELEASE | Active Projects (Wed) / Release Wrap (Fri async) | Post-Release Wrap |
| REVIEW | Release Wrap (Fri async) | Post-Release Wrap |
Tools → Meetings
| Meeting | On Screen | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Room | Artist audience snapshots | Crawley one-pagers |
| Workability Check | Workability dashboard (red items only) | Release Runway |
| Active Projects | Campaign timelines + workability | Airtable + Runway |
| Release Wrap | Release results + playlist recap + press | trackGPS + Commercial Partnerships |
Airtable Fields
| Field | Values |
|---|---|
| Phase | PREP · PLAN · ANNOUNCE · RELEASE · REVIEW |
| Gate Status | Not at gate · At gate · Passed |
| Meeting | Foundation Room · Workability Check · Active Projects · Off Agenda |
LANGUAGE RULES
- Phase names always ALL CAPS when referring to the phase: "KWN is in ANNOUNCE."
- Gate names are the question: "They haven't passed READY TO ANNOUNCE? yet."
- Phases are defined by audience awareness. A phase changes when the audience widens. PREP and PLAN are internal. ANNOUNCE, RELEASE, REVIEW are public.
- Don't say "stage" when you mean "phase." Phases are what we do. Gates are what we pass through. "Stage-Gate" is dead language.
- Lead with phases, not gates. "Currently in Phase 2 (Plan)" — not "currently at gate 1.2 of 6."
- Same words in Airtable, briefs, agendas, timelines, conversation. No synonyms. PREP is always PREP, not "setup" or "pre-campaign" or "development."
- Workability has one definition: art, music, and clearances are done. Art delivered, master approved, samples cleared.
WHAT CAMPAIGN OPS OWNS
Track — what phase is each artist in Surface — what's blocked, what's next Flag — red items before they become crises Prompt — departments to clear their gates Confirm — decisions are captured and routed
We don't own: Approve · Decide · Manage
EXAMPLES
Lizzy McAlpine — Angel (May 2026)
- Phase: PLAN (street date 9/18/26)
- Gate status: Approaching READY TO ANNOUNCE? — 2 of 6 gate items cleared
- Weekly meeting: Workability Check (Tue) + Active Projects (Wed)
- Pilot: First campaign through the framework end-to-end.
KWN (May 6, 2026)
- Phase: PLAN (bundle release date set for 5/22)
- Gate status: Approaching READY TO ANNOUNCE? (workability at 31%, NOT ready)
- Weekly meeting: Workability Check (Tue) — flagged as red
- Flag: Cover/VSC ✗, Master ✗, potential sample in "idea of love." Cannot pass READY TO ANNOUNCE? until resolved.
girlsweetvoiced (May 6, 2026)
- Phase: PREP (no release date)
- Gate status: At READY TO PLAN?
- Weekly meeting: Foundation Room (Mon)
- Next step: Define release strategy, lock a date → pass READY TO PLAN? → move to Workability Check (Tue)
Campaign Operations · Building together. Every phase · Every gate · Together.