The inner couple rings of fans knew every song on the album. They were who all the songs on the album were for.
But another good thing about the album was that from all the tracks on the album, you picked a single. The message was: while we have an albums worth of songs, look over here at this one specifically. We think you’ll especially like this one.
It’s easier to point something out when on the flip side there are other things not being pointed out. (It’s like when you blur out the background of a picture to highlight what’s in focus. You don’t remove the background, just blur it.)
So when you had a single, it was a good bet that the people who already knew about the band would at least know the single. Even if they weren’t super fans.
The album was known by the inner rings. The single was sure to get to few more rings out from the middle.
With the advent of new singles-driven release schedule it’s important to make a differentiation:
Releasing a single vs. Releasing one song
Releasing a single is: Hey look at this extra special song out of all the other songs. Therefore you can’t always be releasing singles. It defeats the purpose of the highlight.
Releasing one song is: Hey we made a song, here.
Singles and one-songs both have their place and should be fully embraced in the plan. But understand there’s a difference. Singles are better when you have other songs that are not singles. In order to have not-singles you have to release songs that aren’t singles.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com