Should You Release 5 Singles from Your 6-Track EP? Hell Yes.

By Liv Byrne, Mark.it CEO & Owner

Let’s settle this once and for all:if you’re an independent artist sitting on a six-track EP, you should absolutely release five of those tracks as singles first. And if you want to play it smart? Announce the EP when the fourth single drops. That’s not selling out. That’s understanding how music work now.

The Attention Economy Runs the Show

There’s more music being released today than at any point in history. Spotify alone gets around 120,000 new tracks uploaded every single day. Add short-form video platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels, and you’ve got a content storm that never sleeps.

So yeah — attention spans are short. You can curse it, or you can adapt. Drip-feeding your release builds consistency, familiarity, and momentum. Every single gives you a new excuse to show up in your fans’ feeds — a new chance to reintroduce yourself to someone who forgot your name yesterday.

That’s not manipulation; that’s marketing.

“But Back in the Day…” Yeah, Okay.

Every time this topic comes up, there’s always one person who sighs dramatically and says, “Albums used to mean something. Artists used to release two singles, and we’d wait in anticipation for the full 12-track record.”

Sure. That used to work — when there weren’t 120,000 other songs dropping today and when MTV premieres were the main event. Nostalgia’s cute, but clinging to the past won’t build your audience in 2025.

Here’s the truth: major artists can still play by the old rules because they’ve earned it. When you’ve been around for a decade and your fans have tattoos of your lyrics, you can afford to hold back. Your silence is your marketing. Ariana Grande’s album leak caused chaos not because it was new music, but because it was her music — wrapped in a decade of trust, mystery, and parasocial investment.

You? You’re still earning that trust. And that’s okay.

Build the Relationship, Then Drop the Big Reveal

When nobody knows who you are yet, every release is a handshake. Every post is an introduction. Releasing singles slowly gives you multiple chances to show people who you are, what you sound like, and what your creative world looks like.

By the time your fourth single hits and you announce the EP, your fans aren’t being asked to care — they already do. They’ve heard your sound evolve track by track. They’ve seen your visuals connect. They’re ready for the full picture.

That’s how you build anticipation today — not by hoarding songs, but by telling a story in real time.

“Nobody Appreciates Real Art Anymore”? Please.

This might be the most tired argument of all. People say nobody appreciates art anymore — and then spend hours a day scrolling through short films, animations, photography, dance clips, and original tracks.

People consume more art now than ever before. Everything on social media is art — whether it’s a performance, a joke, or a one-minute song. If you can’t see that, maybe the problem isn’t the audience. Maybe it’s your ego.

Releasing singles first isn’t a creative compromise; it’s a creative opportunity. You get to expand the visual world of your EP — new artwork, new storylines, new aesthetics for each drop. You can build a narrative that pulls listeners in piece by piece. When it’s finally time to release that sixth track and the full EP, your audience isn’t just listening — they’re invested.

The Real Play: Consistency Is the New Credibility

The most powerful currency in music right now isn’t virality — it’s reliability. Fans remember artists who show up consistently, not ones who post once, drop an EP, and vanish.

Stretching your EP rollout into five singles keeps your name alive for months. That’s five press pushes. Five chances to pitch to playlists. Five reasons for your followers to care.

So stop mourning the past. This isn’t 2007. It’s 2025 — and you’ve got more tools, platforms, and creative control than ever. The old rules don’t apply.

If you’re an independent artist wondering whether to release five singles from your six-track EP, here’s your answer one more time:hell yes. Milk the fuck out of your art. Build your world one song at a time. Consistency isn’t selling out — it’s survival.

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