Why Indie Artists Are Releasing Music at a Much Faster Rate in 2020

Since the advent of the genre in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, the standard trajectory for signed Indie Rock bands has been to release an album, tour on it for roughly two years, release another album, repeat. In the industry, this is known as the two-year album cycle, a model that’s ostensibly designed to maximize the impact (and profits) of a sole record by having an artist promote it for the time it takes them to exhaustively gig throughout their markets.

Of course there have long been especially prolific artists like Ty Segall and of Montreal who frequently crank out albums on a yearly basis. And EPs, soundtracks, various artist compilations and occasional b-sides in the years between albums have obviously existed as a means to tide fans over. But as Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B and Electronic musicians have largely disavowed the two-year cycle over the last decade, in favor of frequent singles, back-to-back albums, and “inventing” new formats like “playlists,” a full-length project every two years has long remained the general template for career indie bands.

Click here to read more from Billboard.