Daughtry is one of the most successful American Idol contestants to date.

And he (and his publicity peeps) are also some of the smartest.

Actually, what I’m about to describe ain’t brain surgery.  It’s pretty simple, actually, yet so many Producers in so many industries don’t take it into account when releasing a new product.

It’s called . . . ti . . . timing.

Guess what Daughtry’s new single is called?

I’ll give you a hint.  What month comes after August, before October, and starts this Wednesday?

That’s right, back-to-schoolers.  It’s called “September,” and the song is a slow jam that captures the end-of-summer blues perfectly.

The song is on Daughtry’s 2009 album Leave This Town, but “September” wasn’t released as a single until this June, which gave it just enough time to ramp up to the charts by mid-July, and now peak with serious radio play just two days away from the song’s namesake.

And if you don’t think that this release was planned like, well, brain surgery, then I’ve got a show for you to invest in that involves a murdering moose.

Releasing a product, or debuting a show, is not like investing in the stock market.  We should time our market.  We already have data that suggests when your best chances for a Tony nom are, right?  There are, no doubt, specific times of the year when your show will attract a wider audience.

It’s up to you to determine the right time for your show.  It may not be as obvious as opening Elf around Xmas, or releasing “September” around September, so make sure you spend some time trying to get into your audience’s specific frame of mind.

And then pray there’s a theater available at the same time.

Oh, and I do really like Daughtry.  He’s a cool version of Nickelback, so what’s not to like?  Come on, watch this video below.  Tell me it’s not a good song.

Now, if only he’d write a musical . . .