How many songs are there usually on an album, and are people still playing them? Let’s break down the different types of musical outputs and the number of tracks to include in your mix.
Once you’ve finished and dusted off an exciting collection of songs, you’ll start to think about how to release them. But do you have enough tracks for an album – or even too many?
The length of an album varies depending on the music distributor you use and where you choose to download your songs. On average, an album will have between nine and 12 tracks, but can be shorter or longer.
When you stream your music with RouteNote, whether you choose our Free or Premium distribution, an album is defined as between 7 to 18 slopes. A single is a track; an EP is 2 to 6 tracks.
Are people still releasing albums?
In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about the so-called “end of the album”. With streaming services giving us the ability to endlessly skip and permanently shuffle songs, our attention span may be too short to sit down, start an album, and just let it play.
Streaming may have changed the way we consume albums, but at the end of 2021 Adele tossed a curve ball at opponents ‘the album is dead’. In addition to releasing his first album in six years, the superstar subsequently made sure that his work, and that of other artists, could be heard as intended during recording, by asking Spotify to turn off playback. random by default on platform albums.
Can you imagine someone saying no to Adele? Spotify dutifully obligated itself, and albums are now read top to bottom. This creates an experience similar to listening to an album on vinyl – a medium that continues to gain in popularity, the ritual of putting on a record appreciated again.
And there’s always hype around album releases, even when an artist releases great singles. Take Wet leg for example. The new British indie pop duo have released two catchy singles and an EP, and critics and fans alike are eager to see the debut album released this year. The song collection will further reveal the sound and personality of a young band that came out of nowhere to top countless ‘best of 2021’ and ‘to watch in 2022’ music lists.
Increasingly, artists are releasing “luxury” versions of albums months after the original release, with additional tracks, remixes or alternate recordings of popular songs, giving the original recording increased longevity. These are often double albums, too long to fit on a single CD or vinyl.
Taylor Swift’s re-recordings of her albums with additional tracks create a hype with each new release. Dua Lipa Nostalgia for the Future: Moonlight Edition, a 19-track reissue of his 2020 album Nostalgia for the future who added B-sides, extended the already massively successful exit.
At RouteNote, if your album contains more than 19 tracks, it is considered an extended album. If you distribute your music for free through us, all types of releases are free.
You keep 85% of all income from the streams, and there are no additional fees or contracts stopping you. Meanwhile, if you distribute through RouteNote Premium, you keep 100% of the revenue, for an annual payment of $ 9.99 and the following different prices for different versions:
- Only: (1 track) – $ 10
- PE: (2-6 tracks) – $ 20
- Album: (7-18 tracks) – $ 30
- Extended album: (19+ tracks) – $ 45
Ready to release your songs? Just make sure your mix includes more than seven tracks, and you’re about to release your own album with RouteNote.
Find out everything you need to know about the RouteNote distribution here.
