On a recent Twitch stream, I was asked about different techniques and strategies regarding releasing music. With affordable access to digital distribution platforms like DistroKid, independent artists have many options. These are the top 3 ways to release music.
Releasing a complete project
One technique is to hold on to the music you create, piece it together in a cohesive way and release it as a project like an album or mixtape. It takes more time and energy to go this route, but if you’re trying to create a masterpiece this is one direction that you could choose.
Releasing the batch of music you create as singles
Just as you would hold onto the music you create and put together a album, you could release them all as singles instead. What this enables you to do is create some consistency with your releases, so as you build your fanbase, they can expect your releases to come on a regular schedule.
Releasing singles as you make them
A third music release strategy is to make a dope track today and release it tomorrow. In today’s digital world the process of releasing music has simplified. And if you have the fanbase that supports a surprise release, this is another effective method.
Find the release strategy that works best for you
Those are my top 3 ways to release music. And all of them are valid. But what is important to understand is each of these techniques won’t apply for everyone. You have to assess where you are in your career and chose the appropriate release strategy for you.
And it always changes. So, I can’t give a hard and fast rule for what everyone should do, but maybe the thing is to just release a track today. Second single, what’s the rollout plan? You got to think about what your overall plan is. Maybe it’s just to get out of a rut. So, you have to release stuff. Maybe you already released a lot of content and it’s time to make a body of work. These are 3 ways to release music.
