The waterfall strategy has become a very popular release strategy in the music business, implemented by both record labels and indie artists. It is characterized by the successive release of several singles that all belong to a future EP or new album in order to get more visibility on streaming platforms. With each new single released, the previous single is added to the same entity on Spotify, thus forming a multi-track project little by little.
The waterfall release strategy works well because Spotify uses AI and powerful algorithms to understand trends and what releases are the most streamed. This, paired with analysis of user behavior showed that the waterfall strategy proved to be the most profitable for both Spotify and the artists who implemented it.
In this article we will explain what the waterfall strategy is and how to use it in the right way, step by step.
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Advantages of Using the Waterfall Strategy
There are many reasons why independent artists benefit from using this release strategy:
- Avoiding big time gaps between releases and keeping the attention of listeners.
- Earning more from streams because the plays you’re getting for each single roll over to your final project. When users listen to your latest single, the previous single plays automatically afterwards, accumulating more streams, and thus royalties.
- Increasing chances of getting on Spotify playlists by pitching each new song to the editorial team. When you release all songs under one project, you can only pitch one song to playlists.
- Taking advantage of Spotify’s algorithm by posting consistently, thus keeping stream and listeners counts up and active.
- Showing up Release Radar and Discover Weekly more frequently and reaching new listeners because you are releasing often.
⚠️ Important: These advantages apply to all artists.
| Read also: Album, EP, single? Develop a solid communication strategy
Implementing the Strategy Yourself
The first step in implementing a waterfall strategy is to plan your upcoming releases. To get organized, try writing everything down in a calendar or use free platforms like Trello and Notion. Setting up an effective timeline will make you less anxious about your planning and release rollout.
Plan Your Releases
Create a release checklist so you can go through each task and be prepared. Let’s say your album’s tracklist is composed of 10 songs. Start by choosing how many you’d like to release as singles prior to putting your upcoming album or EP on streaming services. It is recommended that each new song be released a minimum of a month after the previous one, so if you want to release the full-length project in 4 months, you know not to choose more than 3 singles. If you are releasing a short EP, consider fewer singles so as not to give too much of the project away before it comes out.
When choosing, pick the songs you feel are most representative of the project. You can also opt to choose songs that sound relatively different from each other to pique listener curiosity about what the other new songs will sound like. Which track is the lead single? Pick your strongest, catchiest song to release first and spearhead the waterfall.
Distribute Your Music
Next step is digital distribution. This is how to get your music online on streaming services and available to the public. Music distribution services such as CD Baby, TuneCore, and the like are great for independent artists – you can set up your music releases yourself, and as early as you want. Since you’ve already planned your single releases, go ahead and submit them for distribution for the release dates you’ve set. Remember to have your album art ready!
Other services offer physical distribution if you want to print CDs or have a vinyl option for fans to purchase at a record store, though a waterfall strategy cannot be used for these as they require a full-length project in order to be be produced.
Pay Attention to Order
The hierarchical order of the songs you release is important. The waterfall strategy allows the first single released to have a greater exponential growth of streams because it will appear at the top of your project every time you release a new track. It’s like re-releasing your singles with every music release. Of course, your other singles could end up generating more streams than the first, but the lead single almost always gets more traffic because users are directed to it when they want to listen the newest track. This will likely be the money-maker of the new album; more streams = more royalties!
Note: It is not possible to change the order of the tracks once they’ve been distributed, so make sure you choose wisely.
The Important Technicalities
The technical part is very simple; you just have to choose ‘single’ as the output format and add the file of your new single as well as the one of the previous one when submitting for digital distribution. Make sure to use the same file, ISRC code, title, and contributors so that everything is registered as the same project.
To avoid problems:
- Be careful not to use the same title for the singles (there is always a title for the release and a title for the tracks), otherwise only one version will be visible in your discography (even if the number of tracks is different).
- Always use a different UPC code to differentiate the releases, but the same ISRC to identify the songs.
3. Complementary Release Features
Using this release strategy allows you to stay active in the music scene and bring something new to your fans on a regular basis. You can also create promotional content for each single:
- Release a music video and/or a live session for each song
- Post bts footage and other additional videos on social media
- Run advertising campaigns on social networks
- Include a lyric video and a canvas video for each of your songs on Spotify
- Get each song publicity from the media, played on the radio, and added to playlists by using Groover
Add it all up and your waterfall strategy will surely have an even higher success rate.
Conclusion
There are more than 100,000 songs released every day on streaming platforms. It’s a reality we can’t avoid: online music puts independent artists and music professionals in a constant challenge to stand out from the competition. Whether you are a pop, rap, hip-hop, folk, or electronic artist, you can increase your chances of boosting your streams, expanding your fanbase and having a successful project by implementing your own waterfall release.
– Translated by Mackenzie Leighton –
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