With so much music out there in the digital world (Spotify currently has over 35 million tracks in its collection), it’s hard to know what’s the best way to release your music: should you put your music out as a single vs EP vs LP?
This Ma’ana feature will take you through the various options available to bands, artists and music producers explaining the pros and cons of each of release format.
The Single
As the name implies, a single is a one-track release. These releases tend to be the poppier, more commercial and obvious tracks from your back catalogue to try and get as much attention and focus as possible.
If you are releasing a full album, it’s quite common for several singles to be released before the album. It will help pave the way and whip up excitement and anticipation.
If you’re self-releasing your track via Soundcloud or Bandcamp, you can simply upload the track. As well as album artwork and metadata including genre tags. Singles can be quickly released, allowing fast feedback and maximising your content, giving your fanbase regular content and giving you plenty to talk about on social media.
The definition of a single changes slightly when you use a distributor to get your music out to the online stores including Tune Core. iTunes and Spotify both define a single as between one and three tracks, all of which are under 10 minutes each.
Another way to add extra creative value to your single is to release it with a video. Gone are the days of super-expensive music videos: they can even be shot and edited on an iPhone and released that day. Want more info on making a music video for free, then read this blog article. How To DIY Your Own Music Video For Free
What Is An EP?
An EP, or extended player to give it its full term, is somewhere in length between a single and an album. It is defined by iTunes and Spotify as between four and six tracks. It’s essentially half an album.
One modern advantage of an EP is it allows for higher charting on sales platforms. As there are several tracks on sale, their combined sales are greater and can help put your release into the Top 10 charts on Beatport, Juno, Traxsource, iTunes, Amazon etc. This reason is why many labels will ask for an EP to help give the release extra exposure and keep it in the charts for longer.
Releasing an EP is also more cost-effective. You only need one artwork for all the tracks, you can get the tracks mastered in bulk to save money (and also keep the mastering levels consistent across all tracks) and you only need to upload once to the distributor.
An EP also gives you more flexibility with the pricing, meaning you can give a discounted price if fans pick up all the tracks on the EP.
One important consideration is the longer the release, the more you need a theme, idea or musical concept. They will tie the tracks together. EPs or albums generally have a theme. That could simply be just a style of music that unites the tracks or it could be a high-concept album like Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon.
Releasing An Album
The big daddy of releases, an album (also know as an LP – Long Play) is a serious artist statement. An album is traditionally seen as the main quality threshold. A sign that an artist has matured and has a cohesive body of consistent work.
As well as providing kudos and a sign of respect, an album will generally be around eight tracks or more. They have a running time up to 70 minutes as that was the length of time that could be recorded to CD.
One possible downside of releasing an album in today’s streaming culture is that singles and playlists are some of the main ways that fans discover music.
With the classic album release schedule of single, single, single and then album dying, online platforms like Spotify, Anghami and Apple Music use curated, editorially-led playlists to highlight new music. Which can mean only one, maybe two tracks are likely to make the cut. This making it harder to discover the rest of your album.
Another important consideration is the cost, both financially and time-wise, of writing, recording and releasing an album. An album will cost a lot of money in studio time, equipment hire, mastering fees. As well as the investment in time from everyone involved.
While it is a real status symbol to release your own album, it has to be weighed against the realities of the market. Especially when album sales are declining, concentration spans are going down and playlists and singles are increasingly popular.
Single vs EP vs LP ? Our Advice
Singles are brilliant for quick reactions, for building up a fanbase and attracting attention. Streaming playlists are one of the most important ways to be discovered. With regular singles are a great way to keep yourself in the digital shop window. And there are dozens of ways to self-release music across Soundcloud, Youtube, Hearthis, Hypeddit and more.
I work closely with Universal Music (Middle East and North Africa). They suggest to artists that they wish to see a long term plan. If an album is released then there is nothing to follow up in the short term. They prefer a longer regular release schedule of singles in order to grow the fan base and the artist profile.
EPs are best for taking that one step further. They allow you to release a cohesive body of work that not only works for the singles market but also acts as a statement of intent.
Albums are still the pinnacle, the ultimate music staus symbol, and for many, the high point of many bands’ careers. But with the album market sliding and downloads/physical sales plummeting, it can be hard to recoup the money. Also the time invested in the album. If you have a vision, the time and the fanbase, then get writing that album. But until then, keep releasing singles and albums and build your way up to your debut album release.
If you wish to know more about this topic then please check out these other helpful blogs.
How To DIY Your Own Music Video For Free
A Step By Step Guide To Middle East Streaming Site
Promote Your Music With These 7 Tips And Get More Fans
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