Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Charli XCX interview: how artists optimize for streaming”.
(, electronic music ) – I was never intentionally really thinking about. I wan na break the system. Like I just for me. It’S just like. I was feeling very creative and wanted to release my music rapidly and when I wanted. Without streaming, it would be so difficult to be able to do that. [, Female Narrator ].
We all know streaming is changing the way we listen to music, but it’s also changing how artists release music. Charli XCX is a singer and songwriter known for hits like Boom Clap, ( “ Boom, clap” ) Boys, ( “. I was busy dreaming about boys” ) and “ 1999” with Troye Sivan. ( “.
I just wan na go back back to 1999” ) She’s known to release music, however, and whenever she wants., Often with little warning., Which would’ve been unthinkable before streaming., Now, artist can instantly put their music online. But this also means they have to find ways to stand out among the millions of songs at our fingertips.. As a result, the idea of what an album is has completely changed. ( upbeat music ). I wan na release music when I feel like it and how I want to., And I find that particularly major labels, who have like a very like strict structure of how they want artist to release music..
That just doesn’t really work for me.. And I don’t think especially now, it doesn’t really work for my fans.. What do you mean by that? Well, I think fans are hungry for content and for music from their favorite artists. And there’s so much out there at the moment you know They can get whatever they want, all the time.. So it’s very everything’s very like rapidly digested and people want more., So yeah everything moves so much quicker now., But first, let’s take a step.
Back. Technology has always dictated how artist release music. The flat record was commercialized in the 1890’s and for decades singles were popular because early kinds of records could only hold about three minutes of audio. Around the 1950’s.
The LP was introduced Which could hold up to 52 minutes of audio and the album. As we know it was born.. The traditional album lasted for decades, continuing with the cassette and then the CD all the way until the 2000’s, when digital services, like iTunes, popped up.. This let people pick and choose what songs they wanted to buy from albums ushering the singles market back. Now, with the rise of streaming services, how artists release music, whether it’s singles mixed tapes or albums, has dramatically changed once again. ( relaxed, music ) Traditional album cycle Is you put out a single, maybe a second single, if you’re, crazy, you’ll put a third single out before an album comes out. As a way of sort of teasing the larger product that is to arrive.? What are you seeing now? That’S different from that. I think the best way of putting it would be that sort of waterfall method where artist are putting out single single, more singles and maybe a single every month that maybe would lead into an EP or an album, and sometimes it will take years.. And this waterfall strategy is used by tons of big artists like The Chain Smokers, Bebe, Rexha and Billie Eilish.. I’Ve heard that term for, like three or four years now and its like, whenever I go to a meeting with my label and they’d, be like yeah. You know: we’ve been thinking about this new strategy, its called the waterfall strategy.. You drop one song and then three months later you drop another one and then three months later you drop another one and that’s the waterfall..
I’M like wow, okay, every body got paid today, great. ( laughing ) Like its just its just that’s just dropping songs.. What is the difference to you between a mix tape and an album, Literally nothing ( laughing ), the ones recently that I did like “ Number, 1 Angel” and “ Pop 2”? I called them mixed tapes, because then my label felt more relaxed about them., Because I think for a major label, we’re making an album, then we’re putting it out. There’S expectations like we want it to hit this this. This, like blah blah blah, whatever. And so like for me, the mix tape thing like I just wanted to like: bang bang like two albums in one year like lets, go. [, Zane, Lowe, ] Artists are putting out more and more individual songs because you can. You Don’T have to wait around anymore, get into a cue wait for a record label or some company to tell you its your turn up to bat..
I think you’re, seeing younger artists coming up who were raised in a free space using things like Sound Cloud to a degree watching iTunes, democratize, the release of songs and now looking at streaming services and go well. I can fill this with as much or as little music as I want, and I just want to be creative all the time.. I don’t necessarily want to wait. [ Female Narrator.
] Charli has a new album and in the five months leading up to it, released the four stand alone. Singles .