Join The TRR Hot Topic Discussion – Singles VS Full Length Albums or EP’s

There’s been some talk lately that unsigned musicians should embrace the single opposed to the album or EP as the way to get noticed. As an A&R rep. listening to thousands of songs a month, I only half way agree. On average I will give a song anywhere between 10 to 30 seconds before I decided whether I like it or want to move on. If I don’t hear two good (well recorded, catchy, quality instrumentation) songs right away off a CD I move on and skip the rest of the album. I just have too much to go through and don’t have time to give every song the full 3 minutes. It’s sad I know, but its the way things are these days, and I know for a fact I’m not the only A&R rep. that does this.

I personally think sending one or two of your best tracks to labels, radio, etc. could be a great move for an unsigned band. But, you do run the risk of not having enough options for the music reps to pick through. What the artist may think is their best track, may not be what the music reps see as a hit. I think 6 track EP’s are the best. It shows you have the ability to write several tracks worth listening to, but you don’t overwhelm the listener with 25 tracks to pick from. This is just my perspective as a music insider. I welcome you to join the discussion and tell us what you think. Are full length albums dead? Are singles the way of the future?