You've got a handful of tracks. Do you release them one at a time as singles, or hold them and drop an album? Both are right — for different goals. Here's how to decide.
The case for singles
If you're early and building, singles usually win:
- Momentum. A steady drip of releases keeps you in front of people far better than one big drop and months of silence.
- Discovery. Each single is a fresh shot at getting plays in a chart week and landing on the Scene. More releases, more chances to be found.
- Learning. You find out what connects without betting a whole album on a guess.
For most creators starting from zero, singles are the engine.
The case for albums
Albums do something singles can't: they say *this is a body of work, and I'm an artist.* Reach for one when:
- You have a set of tracks that genuinely belong together — a sound, a theme, a run
- You want a centerpiece for your profile, not just a feed of one-offs
- You're ready to make a statement instead of a series of tests
An album turns a catalog into an identity. That's worth a lot once you have the material to back it.
How albums work on Cambrian
Cambrian albums are collections — they *group* your existing tracks, they don't replace or re-upload them. That means all the plays, engagement, and links a track already earned survive when you add it to an album. Reorder freely, and control whether an album is public or hidden while you're still building it. When it's ready, make it public and it shows up on your artist page.
One thing to watch: an album is only visible to listeners once it's set to public. If you built one and it isn't showing on your profile, check that it isn't still hidden.
A simple rule of thumb
Release singles to grow. Bundle albums to define. Early on, lean singles for momentum; as your catalog and identity solidify, use albums to give it shape. You don't have to choose forever — the best move is usually both, in that order.