Did you know that record labels can legally refuse to release an artist’s finished album even if the artist has met all creative deadlines?
This is called “freezing” a project, and it happens when the label feels the music isn’t “commercially ready” or the market timing isn’t right.
It’s one reason many artists negotiate “release commitment clauses” or “minimum release guarantees” (a label’s promise to commercially release an artist’s music within a specific timeframe after delivery) into their deals today, so their music can’t be shelved/held hostage indefinitely.