Why you should write singles, not albums | Pulling The Lever S1E6
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Friedemann Findeisen is an award-winning songwriter and the author of the bestselling book "The Addiction Formula". As a musical profiler, he coaches some of the biggest producers in Germany.
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Singles grab attention, albums build careers.
That is very true
Aren't careers built on sustained attention?
Sounds like your first move should be an album instead of a single then.
I'm not sure that is true in the age of youtube. So many music listeners consume music one song at a time.
@@BranqonBoom Re longevity; Adore is now seen as one of SP's best albums. From a fans pov it's incredible.
So creating albums is part of building a legacy. The lead songs from a supposed 'flop' record instead become part of your overall story.
If, for example, we use Linkin Park as an example, we can say that even their most maligned records (example; Minutes To Midnight) eventually become part of the Linkin Park story. It fits into their narrative. Whereas 'One More Light' was never given the opportunity to sink in with the fans (due to it being their unintended full stop because of Chester's tragic passing). In time it would've become part of their sonic history because they'd have only played the 'hit' songs from it, in a similar way to Queen only playing the best songs from their awful 'Hot Space' album (Another One Bites The Dust)
I'm an old fashioned guy. I prefer albums.
same
That’s not really the point though. It’s not one or the other ultimately. I love sitting down and listening to albums in their entirety as well, but in this time we live in, the way to build a fan base is consistently relaxing good songs. You can still make entire records, but if you want to stay relevant, making singles is the best way to grow fans right now. Most people out there don’t listen to whole albums like we do.
Unless you are REALLY old fashioned. Before Long Play vinyl records, all music releases were singles. The album started as basically a collection of singles.
RaySquirrel wow I didn’t think of that at all! Genius haha
I will never choose a collection of unrelated singles over a concept album like Marilyn Manson's "Antichrist Superstar" or Pink Floyd's "The Wall." But both albums contain several songs which make damn fine singles, and were fundamentally built on the backs of those singles. (Manson is also known for covers, which is a marketing tactic that goes all the way back to the Beatles and beyond.) No singles = no sales, from what I've seen. No radio station is going to play your whole album, and no streaming platform is going to promote your whole album, until you've "proven" you can deliver a hot single people love. The world is full of great concept albums from bands nobody ever heard of, because none of the songs on those albums made a halfway decent single.
Singles at the beginning of your career, albums when you have more attention and know people will actually be listening/wanting a full body of work
This is the right answer
@@HausofTiffany-pf2bs do that if you want to, really pointless though
Make sense. And I don't think im ready for a whole album just yet. Im growing for every single I make 🙏
In terms of listening: try to listen to the whole album, not just the "catchy" singles. You'll discover a whole new world that each artist creates and it's always amazing to dive into the different nuances and deeper themes of each album! :)
One of the saddest trends in the music industry right now.
Have to agree unfortunately :/
because instead of selling album, now musicians sell tickets to gigs and merch stuff
Tons of albums are still being released tho. In fact, it’s too much to keep up.
Didn't The Beatles release singles over albums at first?
@@efrazable It's not about the mere existence of singles, it's about completely substituting albums with only singles.
As much as i understand this from a marketing perspective, I just feel that albums make a stronger artistic statement and in the long run they tend to be more celebrated than a selection of singles. It also gives the listener a chance to explore your art more; I might forget about the artist if I only have 3 songs to listen to. I know plenty of artists who released an album on bandcamp, and months later it gets picked up and has its life some time after the release! I want to make my first release an album, and once it’s out, i can breathe new life into it by releasing remixes of the single afterwards, b-sides, videos etc
Totally agree with the body of work thing, I couldn't stand releasing one track that isn't or will never be part of a larger work.
@@BranqonBoom It was good in the 90s if you were on a E..otherwise its really monotonous..and thats being kind
In my case (unless something surprising happens) my *whole carrier* might be made out of singles. Only singles xd
And it's not like I prefer singles. Albums have so much more potential (especually concept album).
The type of music I produce is just to obscure to justify an album.. :/
@@Draber2b in my honest opinion basically all albums work better even eps. You can get your favorite songs that you want and you put into a three song EP. Albums work well too but except for concept albums. I believe concept albums work when you’re like later on down your career after your least, made your records and toured. Unless you’re Metallica or Fear Factory or Queensrÿche stay the heck out of concept albums when you're starting your career. Many have tried the concept album early on but it almost often never works or the story built in the concept is pretty damn stupid.
After watching both videos, I feel like an artist who wants to gain notoriety or have the biggest chance at success would be to meet in the middle and write an album... of singles. Figure out the hit song formula, follow it with every single song, and then release the whole album. It might take a lot more work in the long run versus just pumping out 12 random, niche, or experimental songs, but the end result would (on paper) be an album of really great, catchy songs. Isn't that the goal of an aspiring artist; to have an entire album be listened to from start to finish with the listener loving every song?
Don't believe this would even work? Well, here's some food for thought: 'Write an album of singles' was the core philosophy used when Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson wrote the Thriller Album...
The best advice in this comment section.
As someone who went the singles only route for a number of years, I feel compelled to point out that the biggest drawback is an artistic one. With singles, you are constantly writing with the intention of making a bigger, more successful song than what you've done previously. That creates a lot of pressure during the creative process, because you're essentially putting all your eggs in one basket. Not only is that stressful, from a business perspective, it's VERY risky. All the money you're investing on production, marketing, and videos could be lost with one single flop (happened to me). At least with an album, you're creating an entire body of work. You can refine your ideas. You can write flops. You can just enjoy the process. Hopefully, when all is said and done, the singles will reveal themselves. How many times has a song you don't initially like, become a favorite after you've got some distance from it? Or taking that, further, how many times has a song you've not been stoked on become a fan favorite? We're not very good judges of our own work when we're immersed in it. For pop stars, the single route makes sense because of the immense resources they have, they likely have dozens if not hundreds of songs to choose from when it comes time to record... indie artists, I think it makes more sense to write a bunch of songs and decide at the end what works and what doesn't.
Album release is still my biggest pay day. “Don’t worry about it” or “it’s really hard to release an album” is basically telling artists to give up.
That’s bad advice for aspiring artists.
It's really hard to release and album isn't bad advice... It's a statement of fact. If you go in thinking it'll be easy you're more likely to become discouraged when you find out just how difficult it is. I think it's better to know beforehand what the reality is and prepare yourself for that. Realism over Optimism in regard to album release.
I do think this or an EPs approach can be very good when youre starting out, mainly because if youre new people may not be as excited to listen to a 12 track album if they haven't heard or liked a few of your songs already
So just keep doing singles until you have enough for an album
No 2 singles - Album - then 1 more single from Album..Don't short change your fan they will know
Albums made out of many singles are 1. less demanded (because of spoiling) 2. (tend to be) less cohesive 3. feel less fresh.
A decade before albums had to singles pre-released, today it's 3 on average. I would suggest (if your album isn't very long) not to put out more than 4 singles before the album.. The less the better.
4 is a good limit.
You gotta be careful doing that, or you'll end up with "The ABCs of Death" effect where nothing fits together and doesn't feel cohesive (or in some cases feels like different artists made each individual song)
I'll release my album song by song, all of them will be singles.
Once all of the songs are out I'll just group them as an album, to have a name for that batch of songs and represent that period in time and close that cycle and start the next.
Hey! It's Me! That’s what Joyner Lucas is doing and it isn’t going too well.
The label that Moby Grape were on back in 1967 released almost their entire debut album as singles and it confused the record buying public to the point that their songs "Hey Grandma", "Omaha" and "8:05" only became minor FM radio songs and they subsequently sank. And the saddest part, not counting Skip Spence's sad collapse, is the self titled debut was a MONSTER classic album without even one humdinger of a song!
How do you go about grouping them as an Album after they are previously released? Do you reupload? I don't want 2 versions of my song out splitting the stream count.
I just appreciate the depth and nuance of an album's experience over catchy singles. It's maybe because I'm old and set in my ways. But I don't just follow artists for their tunes.
I never played singles more than once I'm glad there's a ton of underground artists that are still making albums
The art form of the album needs to rise from the ashes
Albums are so much more fulfilling. Especially if the artist created it with the entire album in mind, as a cohesive body of work. I mean, look at concept albums like Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, or The Fragile. The entire album tells a story, and songs have callbacks to one another. It builds a narrative. The whole becomes far bigger than the sum of its parts.
michael faith society isn’t really into that anymore man.
Only people like you and myself. You wanna be a successful artist now? Or you wanna do things like that and be like bands ten years ago?
I think albums are more meaningful when you know very well your audience and they know what to expect, otherwise committing in an album can be too risky.
I droped a couple of singles then an album. I knew how important an album is because thats usually where your story lies and thats what really connects with people.
Im old fashioned. Nothing is better than popping a CD in to a stereo and listening to it front to back.
Well, Spotify, the largest music platform nowadays is very album-oriented intetface-wise, so it has the power to reverse the trend
Мирон Набоков what are you talking about dude, it emphasizes playlists and podcasts
Bajack4321 yeah I agree. I think Spotify works best with singles, not albums.
@@SwiftRelish it really does well with all that, but its album categorization is also unmatched. Playlists are quite similar to albums, in a sense, especially curated ones, songs collected with a goal of creating a certain mood?
@@mironnabokov1646 i wouldn't know, to be honest, I don't use other music streaming services. i'll take your word for it though
I agree. When I find an artist I like, I look for their latest album to listen to, as a collection. If all they have is singles, I find it tedious having to add each of those songs to a playlist/queue to listen to. One of my favourite artists for this example is John Mayer. Even though I've listened to all his albums, I know what sort of mood each creates, and if I'm either travelling or working, I just put one of those albums (of which there are many) on a loop. That's just how I listen to music tho.
I've been reading the Addiction Formula for the past week (Not trying to rush through it), watched the entire Artists Series and almost every video on your YT channel, and now this work of art called "Pulling the Lever". You don't only know how to analyze things, you know exactly how to get to the heart of the listeners with your words, every time I finish watching any of your videos I'm like "HOW DOES HE KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT ME", please never stop sharing your wisdom, you're really making careers and dreams come true 🙌🙌
I love format of albums and EPs, there is more meat to chew, but not only because of the number of songs involved but because there is more space for creating a story. Having said that, I found that I love albums that are 30 to 55 minutes long. For example, Slayer "Reign In Blood" 28 minutes long, Rush "A Farewell To Kings" 37 minutes long, Black Keys "Turn Blue" 45 minutes long, Steely Dan "Aja" 39 minutes, Tord Gustavsen Quartet "The Well" 53 minutes.
D,
LToC
What's your opinion on using singles to promote your album? Like releasing single hit tracks in the album periodically. Getting people interested in what's next. And then releasing the whole album for everyone who's already interested? Im a very indecisive songwriter but this is the direction I seem to be heading towards as I finish this album.
The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, and Lady Gaga. The first 7 tracks on their first records were all amazing enough to be singles. The rest was filler.
Write 7 singles and then 4 or 5 tracks where you just have fun. There's your album.
Jum Hed no filler. Ever. Why release music you don’t love? (Answer: money, I know.)
@@dclarkmusic I read a book about U2 called 'At The End of The World'. The author explains that hit songs give the artist the opportunity to explore their other musical interests, so the other songs were where they had fun.
I said 'filler' but that was maybe the wrong word. They're specifically album tracks that aren't meant to be singles, but are there to fill out the theme of the record and create coherence and also break up the 'monotony' of the bare-faced hooks.
Greatest Hits records are alright, but they do get monotonous, in a weird way.
thats just about every album thats ever been made if you're lucky
Which Lady Gaga album are you talking about?
Why they don't realease album with less musics?
To strive to be successful in recorded music, today, is equivalent to saying "I want to sell out, absolutely".
I read the title and was ready to scream bullshit before I watched. The bait worked, now I want to watch the albums video as well.
What's most important about albums that artists and listeners alike don't seem to realize sometimes is that you can do some very creative things when songs are in the same package. If you make an album that is just random songs packed together, might as well release these as singles. An album is the opportunity to create songs that form a bigger whole. You can interconnect ideas, themes, concepts, motifs... There's a world to explore.
Here's my personal take: ever since I stopped making albums from previous releases, I tried to do something fun with my albums: one has 10 songs that are connected with the one at the opposite end (track 1 is related to track 10, track 2 is related to track 9, and tracks 5 and 6 form the center of that album), the other has five groups of two tracks (the first being an intro carrying some motif from the second, main track) that complement themselves in arrangement and style, and the upcoming EP will be a concept album.
Interesting! I make a lot of music and I'm not sure if I should group my 3 greatest songs as an album the concept is consistent but the songs aren't too samey. Or take it a single at a time and try build a buzz. I'm new to music as well so there's that...
@@Writtenmirror Your hypothetical album would just have these three songs? Or these would be included with several others?
You could maybe make a compromise; release these songs one by one as singles, meanwhile you create other songs to join these in an album. Maybe you could take the Celldweller path and release not singles, but short EPs as "episodes", and when all are done you re-release them as an album. Just some thoughts.
@@nitroanilinmusic I have 9 tracks out and a few unreleased but I'm saying 3 strongest (unreleased) either as an EP or part of an album of say 6 by taking the remaining 3 hottest from the 9 out. I do like the episodic take. My artwork allows that to happen quite easily...
Does anyone know what it costs to market a song into hit record status (assuming it were of the required quality).
The ability to react to a hit song and release a song that sounds the same within the week sounds like terrible news for creative music making everywhere.
Love your content man. I like albums... the idea of telling a story, having themes (including musical themes and tones), etc.
I like both.
I’ve been working on a new album, and I’ve been releasing singles one by one. During that, I released a surprise full album for a completely different project. After that, I continued releasing singles for the album I first mentioned.
For me, it seems that releasing an album and releasing a single garnered me a similar reaction from my audiences. This clearly shows me that releasing singles works to my advantage at this stage and time. That is not to say I am against releasing more surprise full albums in the future.
Thanks for this video. I look forward to the next.
i can never understand when he introduces himself
"Welcome to Holistic Songwriting, My name is Freidman Fidelelelelalshkdgf..."
Wow I really enjoyed the laid back intimate feel of this video. Really agree with the "where do I go next" point about singles. I feel more connected to an artist with a "body" of work.
A deluxe version of a single can be a remix with a popular artist ,considering the song gets some traction,or Dj remixes to the song in different genres.
Yes if you are lucky enough to be Bruno Mars that'll work..a remix of a non-hit is probably ok if the song has traction and the remix is f**kin awesome
A lot of time remix just transform any music in a EDM track and sometimes it kill the original vibe.
This is why mixtapes are amazing. They're basically an album of singles. They'll get you attention and could possibly have a hit song.
Thanks for this great video again
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and research.
Navigating singles in a lot of music apps is very cumbersome, leaving listeners less likely to listen to more than one of your songs.
As for costs, I find making quality album art for each single is incredibly difficult. And in the synthwave genre visuals are a huge component, so skimping on this can really hurt you.
Also, oddly enough, physical sales is a big part my income, so manufacturing cassettes (yep) and CDs for singles on an indie budget is just not feasible.
For me, EPs of 6 - 8 songs has served me well. It's enough to make an artistic statement, but short enough to not lose the listeners attention. And it's enough to justify a physical release.
But you are completely correct about "keeping your name out there". It's really a fantastic way to get attention.
I wonder if releasing singles AFTER developing a body of work is a feasible work around.
Step-Dad represent!!
I’ve released two albums. It feels more complete for me.
You know, there are artists that are too creative and releasing only singles just doesn't make sense you know cause you can tell your story as a collection of songs by releasing an album and an album to be honest is a great way to think artistically, more like a pro and you can build a reputation for yourself because people and professionals take you seriously if they see that you release albums like in the old days. I was into singles when I started releasing my music last year but this year I'm more into albums because I got so much to say and albums are a great way to tell your story and to think more artistically!
I really loved and appreciated everything you shared
Another great video. I prefer albums over singles, but it makes sense to stay with the times if that's your thing. I can appreciate both for the context and genre. I don't see Camilla cabella having an amazing album that flows, and I don't see Rush putting out singles to stay with the times haha. Great video regardless. Keep it up!
Well you should listen to Camila Cabello's Album "Camila" - it flows as fuck!!!
Dude more videos love these bro!!!!
Listening to Canohead and it's really cool. I like how there is a mix of a few styles. Great job, Friedemann!
I think maxi-EPs are a great way to get music out in this day and age. An EP is usually 5 songs, while an album is 10 or 12, but a maxi-EP i like to think of as 7 or 8 songs. Short enough to keep people's attention, but still a larger body of work that functions like an album. On top of that you can release more frequently to stay relevant. An example of a band who uses this, from the top of my head, is Our Last Night.
Welcome back. Hope all is well with you. 🙏
I really get a kick out of how the TH-cam speech to text translates your name. This is a big topic I’ve been debating lately. Thank you. Love your book!
Hip Hop and Kpop industries do this for years because of that reasons.. and are succesful
Other genres have more conservative listeners who don't accept changes that fast. :/
Kpop is shit
@@callumhall2432 it's actually a pretty interesting genre to observe. kpop groups are very willing to change up their image and sound which means there's a lot of variety .
@@adeposie its objectively bad music that takes almost zero skill and requires low effort. Its all about the image and not about the music and all of the artists are sellout to major labels. Kpop is not good music, it is just music for the masses of children.
@@callumhall2432 "objectively bad music" not really. you dont have to like kpop at all, and there are obviously gonna be shitty songs in every genre. but they do put a lot effort into what they do and it shows. there's even a whole youtube series where classical musicians dissect kpop songs, it's really interesting. maybe give and example of the songs you're talking about so i can see where you're coming from?
@@adeposie Honestly, most K-Pop I've heard sounds pretty much like most US chart music, wich is to say, pretty bland, though sometimes fun. I don't get at all how it's said to be super weird. Weird Pop music for me is stuff like "Sat On Your Lap" by Kate Bush or "Pluto" by Björk. Are there personalities that stand out in a similiar way in K-Pop? (Billie Eilish is the one mainstream modern Pop artist that has a unique personality and musical style imo).
Like I like Coldplay and they have released a number of singles post A Head Full of Dreams era. But I don't go back listening to those singles no matter how new they are or how good they sound these days. I still go back to their albums and play those back for days on end. Nothing beats the experience of living through an album and understanding how each track is placed to tell a narrative
In my opinion, you should write singles to promote albums. This formula has been used for ages and it is a working formula, why change it? It gives you notoriety and at the same time it appeals to different kinds of listeners, while you building your musical career in terms of sound.
I once heard Muse mention in an interview that they were focusing more on singles (before Simulation Theory came out) because that was the shit right now and people tend to have single songs of one artist in a playlist instead of hearing entire albums. Well I have to disagree with that, people have an evergrowing easier access to entire albums nowadays with all streaming services such as Spotify, the actual growing trend to buy vinyl also tells you people are more invested in entire albums than ever.
If you only release singles however, and admitting you did everything right and made the song as good as possible without overthinking it, you may have immediate success, but for how long? Without a style or sound to define you, people will forget you in T-1 days, thus focusing too much creativity in separate songs may lead your work to sound too much disperse that it might as well be 2 songs from 2 different artists.
Not to mention that a successful hit will most likely wear you out pretty quick regardless of how good the song is, in the pop industry this effect is even more aggravated. The best you can do is to at least give people an album to look forward to or you will inevitably be forgotten.
i prefer albums but now in the streaming era, singles and EPs are much more beneficial
edit: about a deluxe version of singles. I miss the time when they came with an instrumental and karaoke version, we should bring that back
I wish bands would release all the instrument stems. If I make albums that's what I'll do
Me too!
Love this video..
I like having to wait for an album. Makes the rush of the release so much sweeter. If my favorite bands only released singles, I feel like my excitement for new material would vanish and I would just be less interested in them
Great vid! I'm looking forward to your album (Canohead) and the album version of this video :p.
I know id feel way more proud of myself releasing a whole album than a string of singles
I personally feel like a blend of both is a smart strategy. For example, say you're a completely unknown artist. If you pop out a single or two. You have a quick hype machine to get build your initial fanbase through things like facebook and youtube advertising. Then once you have people's attention, keep it with social media based behind the scenes videos of you building your full length album. Keep them coming back with short snippets and teasers of what you're working on. This also allows for immediate feedback via the comment sections on your posts. I think the key to making a music career these days might just be that fan connection. But using the single to capture new fans attention when you have no fans at all. From there you can make them a vital part of the album creation process. That means they will hypothetically feel a partial ownership of the creative work because they helped shape it with their feedback and interaction with you as an artist. Again it's just a hypothesis, and something I look forward to trying out over the next few months as I build up some of the gear I'm going to need for my video releases, live streams, etc.
Thanks for the advice man
Album is a voyage..single is a small walk..I prefer to travel more minutes,good evening from Xanthi 🙂
I released a short album last year and produced a video to one of the songs. A friend of mine made a short graphic novel about the song, that was super cool! To spice up a single as independent artist, it seems one has to look for additions outside of the musical realm and beyond an accompanying video...
Interesting! I make a lot of music and I'm not sure if I should group my 3 greatest songs as an album (EP) the concept is consistent but the songs aren't too samey. Or take it a single at a time and try build a buzz. I'm new to music as well so there's that...
Really good advice! Thanks! Although I think I'll always appreciate an artist's effort with an album more than just singles. Albums are more exciting!
Im a musician from argentina
Despite the fact that creating a single is giving you the opportunity of being recognized or whatever
im still an album guy...I like some one hit wonders even though...
A while ago, my band and i recorded and Ep with 7 songs in it..more like a record than ep
and i notice that nobody would hear an entire album of themselves..
Everything needs to be fast and immediate..thats why i love albums
You have to sit and listen .....
like that popular phrase
Music on , World off
That s music all about for me .
Embracing the power of it and stop my mind for a while.
Thanks! Just crafting out an album from bunch of songs. Great to get advanced sophisticated perspectives on issue.
I have now all of them 13 songs in 1.0 versions in intuitive order in the playlist ’Vernal Equinox”.
In a week or two I publish 2.0 versions in 1.0 album, and see what’s the next step? To make 3.0 versions or new 1.0 songs…
1 song at a time. Immediate cost is lowered. Hmm 🤔 just using my garage band and I’m a beginner.
you should get reaper, the free trial never actually expires
Marketing i.e facebook ads are cheaper for an album as you get 12 for the price of 1 (if you have a 12 song album)
Thanks brotha
great video!
about the "Delux" version for a single, I think you could make other mixes or different versions. like an acoustic version of the song, piano or guitar only, instrumental, remixes the no limitation there...
I love how people in the comments are all “album, album,” and yet I truly thing that your average person doesn’t care at all. Therefore singles have to be the smarter decision
They usually are, especially in the short run. Yet I don't think it's possible to build such devoted fanbases as Pink Floyd and Radiohead have without great albums. On the other hand, I think that Queen was always more of a singles band than an album band and they're probably the most beloved act of the 70s.
Yeah, the charts are totally super easily to emulate because I Don't Care is basically the same thing as Old Town Road, which is the same thing as Bad Guy, which is the same thing as SOS.
@@PaulBlaid I was trying to be sarcastic. I wish it was easier to put on a sarcastic voice in ARIAL text, but whatever.
it's true. as a listener I find some finest singles and then I get frustrated 'cause there's nothing else. 50% of the time I would never even come back to the artist after 'cause something else grabs my attention and I just 'move on'.
i listen to their five most popular tracks on spotify
Same. When a new artist catches my ear and I find out they don't have an album and only singles, I would be less likely to listen to their songs after that initial high. I won't have the loyalty nor the dedication enough to buy any of their future singles.
I’ll remember their name though
@@thecoolesteva6 true. when/if they pop out somewhere I am like aahh wassap
lol yuup or if they don't end up mainstream, I'll check up on them. That's like me with billie eillish, i knew about her from one of her earliest singlesv:)
Is Babish and this guy related?
Andy FoxHound i wonder
They are generated by the same AI, with Vsauce being an early prototype.
@@stefan1024 with different Operating systems i guess
_ musique what if Vsauce,Babish and this guy were programmed and sent by aliens ?
I was thinking that too 😂🥰
Release singles if you want more attention.
Release an album concept if you care about your own personal story or experience that you want to share.
I think a couple more pros for albums are: 1) Related to the "body of work" matter, assume you release a couple singles, one is an absolute banger and you find yourself in a sudden burst of fame. People wanna see you live, but what material do you have to uphold a live concert?
2) Singles that are extracted from an album can give the whole album "traction", this means that 2a) You can sell a 10$ product through a 1$ product and/or 2b) push more niche songs and have the catchiness of your singles pave the way (think Madness and Panic Station for Muse's The 2nd Law). I think focusing EXCLUSIVELY on singles could, in the long run, make music more 'shallow'.
I'm not an artist and rather a single be a single and buy albums for more stuff but if I were to do a deluxe version of a single I would have the single, a "live" version in a studio or a jam room, a remixed version with another artist. Also when me and my friend is making songs you usually have different versions in mind, I would assume others have this also, I would put in these things. It's a lot of work for a single but these are the kinds of things that make fans turn into life long supporters.
So right about the trend thing. There was the year when Jason Derulo and Flo Rida brought out their big hit with a Saxophone Hook. After that, song were coming out with Sax hooks.
I still love a full album, but another benefit of focusing on singles is that it de-incentivizes filler tracks, so you’re more apt to scrap something that isn’t your A game.
Another characteristic of releasing singles is that they may end up sounding pretty different from one another compared to 10 songs in an album all sounding similar in terms of production. Is this good or bad? It depends on your goal.
I listen to singles to sample an artist, like to get a feel for what they're about.
Albums are either difficult to get through or the sort of thing you'll have to pry out of my cold dead hands because it's so important to me.
Rewards vs Risks I suppose :')
interesting! Personally I'll only write an album if its a strong concept album in itself. Releasing singles is just as valid though! Easy solution, do both! I'm working on a concept album but I'm taking my time with it so it'll be exactly how I envision it when eventually it does come out. In the meantime, I have singles to release while the album is coming along. Cool video and good points!
Something I'm trying to do is release songs as singles and then once they are all released, re-release them as an album so it's double marketing and someone who might not have caught the 1st singles will get reintroduced to them again later. I found it helps me from burning out the creative and allows me to take risks with songwriting. If I release a single and it's not good, ehh...it's only one song but if I release an album with 3 songs that don't work, the album suffers as a whole.
@hollisticsongwriting what would you say in this regard to black midi who almost use their singles as a way of leverage supply vs demand while simultaneusly allowing for a more temporal understanding of music, you can respond in comment or another video but I am extremely curious let me know please, if you have thoughts on this please comment below this goes to anyone
A deluxe version of a single could be a dope collaboration of the song with someone rad in the community.
there is a big PRO you might miss or did talk about very briefly in the flexible note, now a days singles do not stay in the charts for long time because there is so many new music coming out, with the labels loosing the power of control which artist come out and new artist coming out with new music everyday, the best way to make it is to focus on the ONE hit wonder... to get the attention... so focusing on a SINGLE at the beginning of an independent artist career is better... it increases your chances...
as an artist or a team with producers and musicians, it is good to learn to detach yourself after a job is done, just let it out do the marketing and move on to the next single... don't need to think too much about it...
not having a body of work is good because it creates expectations on your fans and will give a reason to start following you for your next work... might be album or ep or just another single... staying consistent putting music out every month is a good way to fulfill their needs...
i believe music should be free... artist should think in other ways of making money, maybe merch, or donations, or touring... maybe a lyric book written and designed by the artist... keep music free or people will just steal it anyway!
Songs that don't make it to the album could be a cool addition to a single.
Singles release was the enter to market approach adopted by Red Light Skyscraper.
We did not appreciated any benefit compared to the next released album, probably because at the beginning of the career. Do you agree with that?
May this "singles release approach" works just in mid-high careers?
This is really helpful, thank you. Do you have any thoughts on including past or future singles into albums?
One big con with singles that comes even before the deluxe version is that selling a single is very difficult in itself since most people can just stream it. The only way I and my band could possibly make our money back is by selling physical copies. That isn't going to happen if we just released singles.
Rosalia is having a great start and she started with albums.
The sinewave drone in the background... why haha. I find it very unsettling, great topic and info anyway. Keep it up
I think a deluxe version of a single could be a visualizer video for download. Like theres a lot of great after effects artists that can make a custom video for your song. I think of an EP as a deluxe single lol. maybe take some stems from your song and make an ambient track, from your pads/bg sounds for example. idk
Release some singles, build an audience, release an album/ep.
That would be my way to go!
I would say to release singles and then an album once you have a good amount of followers (1,000-whatever)
From a commercial perspective, albums are best released once there is a demand (hype) surplus created through singles i.e. pretty much any major artist's release strategy. Note that these are well established acts too. Albeit coming to an age where "anti-marketing" like that employed by Drake and Beyonce is a thing, the truth is that for new artists, singles are nearly always the best bet.
It seems to me that aside from old-fashioned notions (like those belonging to the esteemed Mr Garo), those who favour albums as a release strategy do so because albums are deemed more artistic, and would say that the effect of something hitting all at once is generally greater than if done via increments.
But note that the art itself is not changed - only part of its delivery. Songs are not removed from albums if promoted to singles. Besides, taking a more commercially viable approach will allow said art to reach more ears.
On a philosophical note, I would say that a perfect work made slightly imperfect in order that its reach is expanded (likely by orders of magnitude for new artists) is, like the public, all the better for it.
Even the maths confirms:
(8/10) * 1000 = 800 artist xp
(10/10) * 100 = 💯 artist xp
Love to hear your thoughts on EPs
9:15 Ed Sheerans "You need me, I don't need you" has multiple versions,
including an extended (my favourite the "Live Room") version and if that isn't a deluxe version of a song, than I don't know what is.
However I don't quite know how they marketed the single.
I think this happens when you get too many ideas for a single song.
I think it’s best to release both. Some songs will stand better on their own and others will want to be connected to a larger idea. The singles let you release more often than a typical album cycle, but the albums build your body of work. Neither is better to me, they’re just different to create and different to market but equally viable
If u want popularity single.If u want a better music experience albums
Bee Gees had a nice concept about albums(more or less): two super hits, three good songs, and the rest filler, seemed to work for them, millions wise ;)
some songs in an album might sound alike. don't know if its good or bad. Good - for those who hear another track from the album and say "yeah, i know this band!", or those who hear another track from it and say "myeah.. same stuff"
I don’t know if you ever heard of former UK-female-Rap sensation Lady Sovereign?
An early internet success, releasing singles and making music videos for all of those... led to her becoming the first white female foreign rapper being signed by Jay-Z and then released her first album globally with all the same songs plus some more. The body of work wasn’t too big but as more than half the album had music videos for it spanning several years back it seems like a big body of work however sadly Lady Sov got burned out by touring/ the music industry and eventually retreated to private life. Sad story in that sense.
Also by 2019 (more than 12years later) the old label has shut down/ removed all videos so her huge presence on TH-cam has disappeared. But for some years when TH-cam was a small place she made quite an impression due to rap-abilities, unusual UK music style and tons of singles with videos where we literally saw her grow up in front of our eyes. And conquering the world! 2006-2010ish was the peek I seem to remember... so singles singles singles over time! :)
Singles and albums and adapting your sound constantly while still remaining recognizable and building a 25+ years career despite lineup changes and being constantly hated on ... I could help you make a video on the business-lessons learned by observing Scooter.
This era is all about singles
I agree
I think Cradle of Filth attempted that "deluxe" single thing. Can't judge their "success" with it and, as far as I know, they haven't done it again. They made this Nymphetamine Fix (5 min) within a Nymphetamine Overdose (9 min ish whole) which is basically a power ballad in 3/4 acting as a long a$# bridge within a black metal song in 4/4. I love that song and almost everyone I know that follows the band, does. But again, it's commercial success is unknown to me. All I know is they released the "fix" portion as a single with it's own video but the whole song was like the face of the album if I'm not wrong.
I think when Ed Sheeran released 3 versions of Perfect around christmas time with other singers (one was beyonce?) was a deluxe version of a single. That was very successful! lol