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You are a singer-songwriter, and you have written enough songs for an album. It’s time to record and release them all, right? But you notice that some artists don’t record albums. Instead they release singles. And you are wondering, should you do the same? Well, both singles and albums have their own pros and cons, so let me break them down to help you decide which one is best for you.

Single

Single is a term that people use when they are releasing just one song to the public. A lot of new artists release singles instead of an album, because it is a good way to test the market. A single is easier to produce compared to an album. And you can launch yourself to the music scene with just one song. If the public likes your music, then you can release your next single. Another benefit to releasing singles is if you do it regularly, you will always have new content for your fans. Producing an album takes longer than a single, which is why most artists only release one album every few years. But if you want to keep your fans engaged, you can record all your songs, and only release one every few months. This way, your fans won’t forget about you. Instead, they will be tuning in regularly to check if you have released a new single.

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Album

Album is a term that people use when they are releasing a collection of songs in one package. You might notice that most of the biggest stars release albums instead of singles. That is because you can take an album on a tour. I don’t see a lot of musicians going on tour with only a single, unless they have already released dozens of them. Albums are also better if you want to submit your music for awards. Even though Juno Awards have a category for “Single of the Year”, you will have a bigger chance to get more nominations with an album. Lastly, people might argue that producing one single is cheaper than an album. That’s because a single only consists of one song, and an album has multiple ones. If you divide the cost per song, an album is probably more economical. So you might get a better deal for your music if you go the album route. 

Whether you want to release singles or albums, you have to make sure that it fits in your career plan. And this doesn’t mean that you can only choose one. A lot of artists have released both throughout their careers. So if they can have successful careers with singles and albums, I don’t see why you can’t.