036: Either/Or

So you’re working on recording some new music. Is it a single, or part of an album?

That used to be an easy question. Singles were essentially always a part of an album - radio played the singles, people loved the song, they went to the record store and bought the album. Singles drove album sales. If you put out a hit song, then you’d have yourself a hit album. I remember I used to have a theory that tracks 3 and 7 were always the best songs on an album and the ‘random’ feature on CD players would favour those tracks. Oh the 90s! Now we just have algorithms for that.

Anyways, let’s get back on track.

I hear a lot of artists talking about how to release their music now. I know some are focusing on just putting out singles, a steady stream of new music. Songs not connected to an album in particular, but geared towards the digital age and streaming platforms. I also have talked to many artists who are putting more of an emphasis on the album again. Creating additional content to go around the release and support the project - books, art. It is an attempt to create a more in depth experience for the listener to immerse themselves in. The record sleeve of the modern era.

The question becomes which is the better way to go - albums or singles? That seems to be what everyone is looking to find out right now.

I don’t think it needs to be an either/or situation. And by that I don’t mean you should do both (although you could). What I mean is that to assume there is ONE right way to pursue releasing your music is missing out on a whole scope of possibilities.

What is right for one person may not be right for someone else. One artist might excel at creating an entire world around their work, with extensive artwork, stories and imagery to support the release. To try to separate these because - ‘it makes sense to release singles’, doesn’t really make sense.

Another artist might be better suited to constantly be creating and evolving, with each new single being something new unto itself. To then go and package all those songs together as some cohesive album doesn’t make sense either.

So stop thinking about which way is the universal ‘right’ way and instead, search for the way that is best for you. That may even be something different altogether.

I think this is becoming somewhat of an ongoing theme of mine in these articles - but you need to focus on what works for you, what methods connect for you, and what strategies inspire you. Follow that path. Those all may be influenced by what others do, but you should not choose one simply because somebody else was successful in that endeavour - that is not a reason to pursue it.

In the end, don’t look outside of yourself for the answer to which one of these strategies is best. Instead choose the one that resonates with you and run with it. Most importantly, never assume it’s an either/or situation. We like to simplify things into binary choices. Don’t fall into that trap - remember there is an entire rainbow of colours in the gray.

~ Steve