Do you like how they release music in Japan?
 

Based on the artists I listen to this is how they do it in Japan:

1. Release a few singles
2. Release an album
3. Make some PVs (optional)
4. Go on tour
5. Release another single that will be put on the next album.

Whereas in other countries, artists tend to release a promotional single for the upcoming album, go on tour and more singles will be released later on.

Which way do you prefer?

I personally like to get the album first, and then have the singles chosen.
Releasing a single during the tour may be tricky, because if you're still in the "X" album era, the next song you make might have the same feel as said album, which may not necessarily be the theme of your next work, and therefore the song will sound out of place once its respective album is released.

I prefer the way Japan releases music

yeah most definitely so !

I don't like it when you release singles before & after an album , like it doesn't make any sense to me & it doesn't give me any incentives to get singles before an album's released

It's so much better & systematic & less complicated as compared to what's happening in the English music scene for sure

I think there's been like 5 threads made like this already. That's no offense to you, I'm just letting you know. And I'm actually going to move this to the music forum...I don't really know where it should go (between there or the Japan forum), but that seems a good place.

I most definitely do! Not only does it mean more music, but there's much more of a build up towards the album. In Western music, there's a single, some previews, BAM, an album, and then an endlessly long period of promoting and touring the same album. And when there's a single, it's a song from the same album you've already heared so much.

I prefer western way...

1 - The album is made at once, what makes it more cohesive, while in Japan sometimes u have material from an entire year (or more than that) needing to fit an album that was finished on a totally different moment... and then u get glitter on Guilty or Colors on Ultra Blue :P

2 - By promoting the album and not only singles, there's a bigger chance to make the album sales increase, considering people may not buy it for it's first or second single, but may buy it later for other music, while in Japan it pretty much is finished after the album first month on sale

So, IMO, western way tends to generate more coherent works and albums that really work as a whole^^

I agree with this, but then again it's also exciting to hear an album with 100% new songs as opposed to 6 new ones and 5 you already know. I'm torn!

I prefer the Japanese way. When I already got the album I don't see any point in buying singles released off of it later. I mean, I already got the music, and on singles sold here the PVs are not included most of the time, so yeah...

EDIT: you guys are right about the theme thing. I mean, I like about, let's say Taylor Swifts new album, that all the songs fit so well together. But it doesn't bother me much either when some singles don't fit the overall feeling of the later album.

yup their release style is my fav :P

Anyway... Japanese singles are for selling singles... Western singles are for selling the album... The singles released after the album aren't to be bought (only if u r an avid collector or dj interested on the remixes), but to promote the album and make it sell more...

i prefer singles before an album. I like it when artists release songs as they make them. It's always something new to look forward to. Where as if there is an artist that releases albums every other year and does the american way, we have to wait 2 years to hear anything new. As they release singles after an album, it's old news. already heard before. nothing special.

It's also why cd+dvd albums fail hard in america. by the time the album is released with a dvd, there's only one single so far, and it mostly just contains documentaries about the album. there's only ever one video or so because not all the singles/videos have come out yet.

yes!!!!

no point in releasing singles after an album

I definitely prefer the way it's done in Japan. I don't like the way it's done here.

I like it better the Japanese way~ But only if the singles have bonus things like a remix

Anything is better than the Taiwanese/Chinese way of releasing albums :thud

I think Ayu's albums would sound a lot different if they recorded everything first and then picked the songs to put on the album. The quality between album and single tracks is really apparent on Ayu's later albums.

Japanese way...cause I'm spoiled...and the American way is soooo boring.

^I agree! :)

^ Me too XD

The other way simply because by hearing more songs released after the album, I'm able to firmly decide whether or not I want the album. Also, I've become really bad about listening to any new releases on time so the downtime between gives me a chance to listen all of it and not get sick of songs easily.

I prefer Japanese way as well.
It's more interesting than US or the rest of the world. we have to wait for some years to get new material. the single is just for promoting the album which is no new material. they are just releasing old material and put a MV on it

SO true. I always want to buy Japanese CD+DVD albums because they usually come with multiple PVs, but American ones (ex. Kelly Clarkson, Jordin Sparks, and Ciara's latest albums) just have one video and a making of because that's all that's been promoted before. The Japanese way is way much better. The buildup makes me so much more excited for the album. iTunes is doing kind of a nice buildup to albums with their "Countdown to XX album" idea, but I don't even buy music digitally, so I don't even utilize it.

I love it. I think the way korean music is released is the best though.

How do they do it in Korea? :o

I prefer the western way... because it's what I'm used to~

no singles. tons and tons of mini albums and re-package albums. and they put the remixes and instrumentals on the album as bonus tracks.

I personally hate it. especially the mini album/repackage album thing they do. Why not just wait til you have enough songs, and release one full album? they even have re-re-package albums. It's annoying and stupid.

also they only ever have one video for each album. My friend is a huge fan of k-pop and one day we were going through some ayu's videos and she was like "wow she has a lot! does she have any albums with just one video?" I said "No" and she said "that's weird, thats how they do it in korea." lol, imo that is the weird way. Imagine if ayu only ever had one video for each album.

Not saying everyone is like this, but this seems to be a repeating pattern among many kpop bands/artists

If Ayu had only 12 PVs, they'd be sacred :tired

I love how it's like, you get the announcement of something new then usually a few days later you get a teaser for the promotional video, then the full song the next few days, then the PV the next few days, then when it's only about a week after the announcement the album/mini album is out then it follows with a shiitload of lives, it's all so quick and exciting!

I like the Japanese way but I see the benefits of the English way too..because those singers that promote long enough and able to push another album out in a matter of months after their last single from te previous album...and + ALL the new material come out at once..but the Japanese way kinda splits the work throughout the year at elast the artiste is Present. I guess they work for different markets.
The koreans promote different too...going with a major song for months before taking a break...and they harp on singles and minis a lot...kinda like Singles in Japan but they will not get re-released..
but yea..having so few PVs in ur career...that's quite sad