Singles, EP’s, or Full Length Albums? What You Should Be Focusing On As An Artist?

Nowadays, it feels like everyone and their mother is releasing music, so how do you break through the noise? And more importantly, what should you use to do it? Song releases come in multiple forms, most commonly singles, EP’s, and full length albums.

Don’t know the difference between the three? Let’s break it down.

A single is exactly what it sounds like, a stand alone song that is released on its own to the public. However, some singles can include up to as many as three songs. iTunes accepts three tracks under ten minutes to be categorized as a “single”. Many times, a single precedes a longer project as another way to promote more music, such as the case with “Your Power” for Billie Eilish’s album Happier Than Ever, or “Lonely” for Justin Bieber’s album Peaches. However sometimes they are not related to any other pieces of music, and they are simply released as a one and done song.

An EP (also known as an Extended Play) is usually a compilation of approximately three to five songs (give or take) and are a little longer than a single, but shorter than a full CD. EP’s are a great promotional tool for releasing new music, and for keeping interest in an artist alive. They also allow an artist to deliver a more comprehensive piece of work that showcases more of a story, something that is much harder to accomplish with a single song.

Lastly, a full length album is a complex project that usually consists of about nine to twelve songs. Albums can help create a full arc for an artist and the story that they are trying to convey. They are also great for promoting tours and can help show multiple sides to an artist through different branding, aesthetics, and concepts, and even genres.

When physical copies of music were the most prominent form of music consumption, LPs (also known as Long Plays) and Limited Edition or Limited Press records were also another form in which artists released songs. Long Plays referred to CD’s of full length albums or vinyl records that were formatted for phonographs. Recently, we have seen this form of music coming back with modern day records being printed on vinyls, however vinyls have become more of a form of merchandise that helps promote the artists’ music, rather than being the main form in which artists release their songs. 

It has been a recent argument in the industry that shorter length works are becoming increasingly popular as opposed to longer works. Artists such as Bruno Mars, Doja Cat, and Cardi B seem to follow this model by releasing consistent singles before putting out any larger projects such as full length albums. This is likely because people’s attention spans are getting shorter, and it is easier for people to digest individual songs or a small handful of music. Therefore, many artists opt for multiple single releases in order to keep their fans on their toes and maintain their audience without losing interest.

On the other hand, longer plays and albums are a great way to throw a bunch of content at your fans at once, and give them the opportunity to listen to a wide range of your music in one go. Many popular artists such as Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, and Ariana Grande go with this approach, because they are able to change up their sound and aesthetic to separate different eras of their music. It also keeps fans on your profile for longer periods of time, which helps boost your artist profile on algorithms for music streaming platforms.

So what is the answer? Should you be focusing on releasing shorter projects such as singles and short EP’s, or spend the time putting together multiple songs for a full length album? The answer is: it depends. If you are an emerging artist looking to get their foot in the door and break into the industry, starting off with singles and maybe a couple of EP’s is the way to go. This is because you are looking to grow your fanbase and find new people to expose your music to, which is much easier to do one at a time with every new song. Once people hear a little taste of who you are as an artist, they will be more inclined to keep an eye out for more of your future projects. 

However if you already have a pretty established fanbase, then by all means, go for the full length albums. Artists with loyal audiences want to keep them fed with content in all forms. Delivering a full length album to them will give them more songs to enjoy, and will help boost your music on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and more.

If you are unsure which approach to take with your music, or you are stuck on what the best strategy is for your enterprise, we highly recommend discussing with your manager or artist team. EAR offers fantastic management services that can help you with just that and so much more, all while staying true to your vision and focusing on what matters most: making amazing music and connecting with your fans.