Lead single
A lead single (or first single), usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
A similar term, "debut single" is the very first single released by a new artist.[3]
Release strategies
Artists often choose songs that are more
Japanese artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro and B'z may release four to eight singles before their albums to achieve record-breaking debut-week sales. The lead singles in Japan are very heavily advertised and promoted, in some cases even more than the album itself. With album sales continuously declining in the United States, record labels often release singles before the album's release date to online music retailers including iTunes, ranging in price from $0.99 to $1.29. This trend has become increasingly popular in many markets.[citation needed]
In the late 2010s, artists began a trend of releasing multiple singles before eventually releasing a studio album. An unnamed A&R representative confirmed to Rolling Stone in 2018 that "an artist has to build a foundation to sustain" and adding that "When artists have one big record and go run with that, it doesn't work because they never had a foundation to begin with." The same article cited examples such as Cardi B, Camila Cabello and Jason Derulo releasing four or more singles before their album releases.[5]
Albums with more than one pre-release single
In the 2000s, a common trend developed to release a lead single months in advance of the album release date. It has equally become common for further singles to be released before the release of the album. For example,
References
- ^ "Which Beyoncé Lead Single is Your All-Time Favorite? Vote!". Billboard.
- ^ "!!! Announce new album 'Let It be Blue' with first single 'Storm Around the World'". NME. February 26, 2022.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 19, 2020.
- ^ "Exclusive: Fall Out Boy Album Deets". Rolling Stone. November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ^ Leight, Elias (May 6, 2018). "Why Your Favorite Artist Is Releasing More Singles Than Ever". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ Dombal, Ryan (October 1, 2013). "Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ Espinoza, Joshua (January 6, 2017). "Ed Sheeran returns with two new tracks "Castle on the Hill" and "Shape of You"". Complex. Retrieved June 12, 2019.