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The Mixtape is King…Or is it? There may be a More Efficient Use of Your Budget for Rap Beats and Promotion.

The culture of hip hop for many years now has glorified the mixtape as the standard medium for artists to get their name out on the streets. Basically the trend is, if you don’t release a mixtape you’re a nobody. This has been further reinforced in recent times by the high number of successful mixtapes released by top artists such as Meek Mill, Ace Hood and Lil Wayne. For those of you old enough to remember, the mixtape has evolved and has seen many different forms. At one point the mixtape was primarily a DJ platform where the DJ would put together a number of top releases on one project and showcase his mixing skills. Then artists began to use the mixtape to release more informal tracks where they mostly rapped or sang over popular rap beats as opposed to hiring a producer to create original instrumentals. Nowadays a mixtape can be seen as basically an informal street album with artists doing songs over original rap beats as they would on an album. While this is a great part of hip hop (as well as r&b and pop), rising artists must also understand that time, money and focus can be better spent at certain times on singles instead of a large body of work. I’m about to explain why.

Why Focusing on Singles can be Better in the Short Term.

• Focusing on one song at a time gives you better focus content wise and it prevents the feeling over being overwhelmed by the thought of getting an entire body of work done right and released by a certain time. With a single you can view the project as finite and pay more attention to every detail of it from the lyrics and flows to the beat and the mix.
• Potential for sales and licensing. A single is easier to market by virtue of the low price on iTunes for example, and it can also be licensed to film or TV which can potentially bring in significant royalties for a long time.
• Easy collaboration. If you are a member of a good artist forum or you have a plenty followers on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram who are also artists, you can easily find like minded artists to do collaborative singles with. This is beneficial because you can each introduce each other to new sets of fans and followers.
• Easier on your budget. Producing a 10 song mixtape can be expensive in terms finding the right beats, studio time, artwork and promotion. However when you focus on one single at a time, you can earmark smaller amounts of money and give yourself time to earn more income. There are plenty of sites which allow you to buy beats online inexpensively, as well as many online sources for graphics, promotion and distribution.
• A single is a vehicle for a great music video and an opportunity to earn money via Youtube.
• The right single can be an engine for great success. If a single creates enough buzz it can lead to amazing things such as: a position on Billboard, performances on highly rated shows, a huge following on social media and opportunities to work with top artists and producers. All these things will in turn create an environment where it begins to make sense to drop a mixtape or even an album because by this point, you would have enough fans and a big enough budget to truly give the mixtape the mileage it deserves.

Unfold Your Strategy in Stages.

I am in no way bashing or saying that a mixtape should be avoided. On the contrary I’m suggesting that artists look at their process in stages. The single and all of its merits can easily open the door for a more successful mixtape release instead of trying to rush and do the mixtape first. If you need to buy beats, go online and buy a few that you really feel and create from there. Over time as your exposure grows, fans will begin to demand a larger body of work. After all, no one can sell to an audience that does not yet exist. Take your time and think things through. Put energy and attention to detail into making a great record and do this each time you set out to make a record and eventually your body of work will take shape. Remain focused and watch your success as an artist unfold.