SAMPLEDWhat Tools Do A&Rs Use? A Free macOS App for Music Release Planning
Sampledex Release OS is a free Mac App Store workspace that gives A&Rs, managers, and indie artists a release calendar, EPK builder, pitch tracker, and asset vault — no subscription required to start.
Disclosure: The Author owns Sampledex (DBA) and separately owns and operates Sampled. Sampled is a separate business and is not a division, product, or subsidiary of Sampledex or its parent company.
The Sampledex Release OS Mac app (opens in a new tab) is free on the Mac App Store. It runs offline on macOS 12 or later, requires Apple Silicon, and takes up 5.4 MB. No account, no subscription, no data collection. That alone makes it worth a look for anyone asking what tools A&Rs use to plan a release without blowing the budget.
Sampledex — the sample and drum-kit shop behind packs like the Platinum Drum Kit (opens in a new tab) — built Release OS as a desktop workspace for artists, managers, and small teams who need to turn a drop date into an actual campaign.
What A&R and release teams actually need
A&R work today is part discovery, part project management. The tools that matter are the ones that keep a release from falling apart between "master approved" and "out now." Sampledex Release OS bundles the core pieces into one native Mac workspace:
- Release calendar — a 6-week timeline with auto-generated milestones for singles, EPs, beat tapes, drum kits, sample packs, loop packs, and plugin drops.
- Content planner — kanban view with prompts, caption drafts, and rollout angles.
- EPK builder — a public page with bio, streaming links, embedded video, press assets, and a contact button.
- Pitch tracker — a mini CRM for blogs, curators, DJs, sync libraries, and collaborators with follow-up tracking.
- Asset vault — one place for cover art, press photos, bio, tracklist, stems, loops, and links.
- Template gallery — prebuilt rollout presets for each release type.
The Mac app is offline-first. The App Store listing (opens in a new tab) notes that MusicBrainz is disabled in the free version, and the developer (Robert Clemons, publishing under Sampledex) states the app collects no data.
Free on macOS, with a web tier when you need more
The Mac app is genuinely free — one active campaign, basic countdown dashboard, basic checklist, one EPK page, limited asset storage, and Sampledex branding on the EPK. Version 1.0.1 (May 20) fixed local project reopening after relaunch and improved report/EPK export flows.
The web version at sampledexrelease.com (opens in a new tab) adds hosted sharing, AI rollout generation, and team features. Pricing there is:
- Pro — $5/month (beta, list $12/mo): unlimited campaigns, full content planner, full EPK builder, pitch tracker, unlimited asset storage, AI rollout generation, templates, no branding.
- Collective — $29/mo: coming soon, up to 5 collaborators, shared campaigns, roles, multi-artist workspace.
Who should use it
If you are an indie artist, producer, manager, or A&R without a label rollout deck, this is built for you. It is especially useful if you ship singles, beat tapes, sample packs, or loop kits regularly and your current "system" is a Google Doc and a Notes app.
If you already run releases in Notion with a synced Airtable of curators, you probably do not need it. If your last three drops were "vibes and panic," you do.
Bottom line
For A&Rs and indie release teams asking what tools actually help plan a drop, Sampledex Release OS is a low-friction place to start — and the free Mac app means you can test the workflow before spending anything.
Grab the free macOS app on the Mac App Store (opens in a new tab), or start a web campaign at sampledexrelease.com/onboarding (opens in a new tab).