Releasing music is a science, but one that hasn’t really been solved yet. Some artists find great success in spite of infrequent releases, while others release constantly. The question then becomes, what is the best choice? How often should you release new music? Well, worry not, because today we’ve gathered all the information available to give you the closest thing to an objective answer.
Release Frequency and Timing
While there isn’t a simple cheat code that will solve this question, there are general indicators of good practices for releasing music. For example, streaming platform algorithms benefit artists who drop consistently. A common sweet spot is to release something new every 6 weeks or sooner. In fact, more frequent releases are usually favored by most platforms.
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When the algorithm notices this drip release schedule, it suddenly becomes more likely to recommend your music. Listeners are also prompted to follow and stick to an artist more if they release new music on the regular. After all, there’s nothing more crushing than finding a new artist, just to discover they only release every now and then.
Balancing Releases With Quality
Now that we know it’s better to release music frequently, the question becomes how frequent is that exactly? Yes, it’s good to drop tracks often, but having too much release at once can lead to listener burnout and loss of interest. On top of that, making so much music is bound to have a creative strain on the performer themselves.
Once again, we recommend sticking close to the ‘new release every six weeks’ schedule. Small alterations can be made to make releases slightly quicker or later, but it’s a good outline to follow. It provides artists ample time to be creative, while also avoiding listener burnout. You can even make good use of this downtime to hype up your upcoming releases on social media and other platforms.
Big Releases V.S. Single Releases
Alright, this all works well for smaller, single releases, but what about bigger releases like EPs and albums? You can’t really release those on a frequent basis, so there’s no way you can release those that consistently. Well, thankfully, there’s a separate way to manage those too.
Generally you want to use singles to drum up interest in a bigger release. Be it an EP or a full LP, using the consistent single release schedule still works here. Once you’ve built up enough momentum for your album, drop it in one fell swoop and then give yourself a longer break. Most artists go several months without anything new, so it’s fine. Just don’t disappear for too long or you’ll lose fans.
Once you’re ready to start releasing music again, you can begin from scratch with a new single, and slowly build up interest with the same tactics. We hope this has helped you figure out how often you should release new music. Remember, as long as you maintain your quality and releases, you’ll do fine.
Scheduling how often should you release music really depends on your brand and audience.
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