Redemption is the fan listening to the music they bought. It is what makes every reported unit a real, verified fan rather than a transaction.
How it works for the fan
There is nothing for the fan to do beyond pressing play. EVEN tracks redemption automatically, so no code, claim step, or confirmation is required on their end.
When pre-order sales count
A pre-order counts at redemption, not at purchase. That means the fan's first play or download on or after street date, so pre-orders land in the week fans redeem them rather than the week they paid.
What that does to first-week numbers
Pre-orders count in the week fans redeem them, beginning on street date. A long pre-order window does not scatter units across the weeks before release; it concentrates them into release week as fans come back to listen.
Why it matters for clean sales
Redemption is the strongest defence against bulk buying that exists on the platform. A purchase nobody ever listens to never becomes a reported unit, which removes the incentive to buy in volume in a way that purchase-side rules alone never quite manage.
What it means for your campaign
Getting fans to play the album in release week matters as much as getting them to buy it. Your EVEN team plans release-day messaging around that, and Fan Connect email and SMS are the usual tools for it.