"It's a very momentum-driven market," said Ben Klein, the cofounder at the record label and music-marketing firm Hundred Days.
Still, for some artists, albums can be a useful tool for marketing, streaming economics, and nourishing their biggest fans.
"If you're capturing all of your fans and the fans are streaming 10 songs or they're streaming 30 songs, it actually makes a big difference on charting and streaming revenue."
AdvertisementOf course, writing lots of quality songs for an album is easier said than done.
And some artists are wary of letting social-media strategies or streaming incentives bleed into the creative process.
Persons:
Charli XCX, cheekily, Taylor Swift, Nima Nasseri, Morgan Wallen's, Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, Swift, Nathan Hubbard, Billie Eilish, Ben Klein, superfans, David O'Connor, Z, Steve Jobs, Robert Fink, Charlie Green, YouTuber, Taylor Lindsey, Brian Zisook, Audrey Benoualid, Myman Greenspan, Ariana Grande, Tate McRae, Judah, Judah Akers, Superfans, Marie Clausen, Akers, Dan Whateley
Organizations:
Universal Music Group, Poets Department, Nation Entertainment, Napster, iTunes, Herb Alpert School of Music, Sony Music Nashville, Lion, RIAA, Business