The ‘waterfall release strategy’ is a great way to create sustained visibility and compound growth. It is the default release strategy used by label artists today for EPs and albums but many independent artists are beginning to follow suit.
Here’s the basic structure:
Release individual tracks in a carefully timed sequence, with each new release appearing alongside previously released tracks. Each release provides fresh data for streaming platforms to refine their understanding of your audience, leading to more accurate recommendations with each subsequent release.
This maximises attention as multiple release moments create separate promotional opportunities, extending your visibility across months instead of days. Instead of overwhelming listeners with ten tracks at once, you guide them through a curated discovery process that builds investment in your artistic narrative.
- Week 1: Single #1
Drop the first track by itself. Treat it like any other single: pitch it to playlists, gather saves, collect data. - Week 6: Single #2 + Re-Upload of #1
Release track 2 as a new single, but package it inside a two-track bundle that also contains track 1. (Keep the original ISRCs and metadata so the stream-counts from #1 continue to rise.) - Week 12: Single #3 + Re-Upload of #1 and #2
Add track 3, expanding the bundle to three songs. Each previous track keeps its play-history, so the algorithm now sees three active records—not one. - Week 18: EP/Album Pre-Order & Pre-Save
Announce the full project. The store pages now show the first three songs as playable and the remaining tracks as greyed-out “coming soon,” which drives pre-saves and collects email addresses. - Week 22: (Release Week) — Full Project Goes Live
Publish the complete EP/album with every track included. Because all prior ISRCs remain intact, you launch with weeks of accumulated streams, saves, and playlist placements already baked in. - Week 26 Onwards: Deluxe / Remix Add-On
Drop an alternate version, remix, or bonus track without changing the original listing. This last addition produces one more editorial pitching window and a fresh spike of algorithmic attention while recycling momentum back to the entire catalog.