From Rosalía to J Balvin: What is an ‘Always on artist’?
Global artists are now releasing songs non-stop and placing several of their tracks in the top streaming charts
The first time I heard the concept of ‘Always on artist’ was at a presentation that Universal organized for J Balvin’s album ‘Colores’ (2020), and yet it was not something new. Even then, this term was usually used in internal briefings of major record companies to refer to artists who are always releasing music.
The truth is that the Internet and streaming platforms have not only changed the way we consume music, but also the way we create it. Now global artists are releasing songs non-stop and have one or more tracks in the charts. For years, the author of ‘Mi Gente’ was one of the totems of this phenomenon that has been followed by so many others. Urban performers lead the way, but artists of all kinds are now joining the relentless release of songs.
It all started in the 2010s with the arrival of Spotify and the proliferation of other streaming platforms. The life of a song released at the beginning of this millennium was much longer than one published in 2016 or 2017, when the paradigm started to change.
A very demanding market
Streaming platforms are largely responsible for this transformation. On the side of the creators and producers, professionalization has been unstoppable. However, it has also been welcoming new talents with access to the latest technologies, computers and sophisticated programs that allow artists and their crew to create incredible tracks in a very short time.
Laura Estudillo, music journalist and founder of Panorámica, a communications agency specializing in music, reflects on this: «The democratization of technologies has meant great advances for the creative development of artists. I would also say that this is the root of the whole new scene that has emerged in recent years and that has revitalized and rejuvenated a popular music that was stagnant in ideas. Today, with very basic equipment you can create and produce songs from your bedroom. Costs have been lowered, which makes their ability to generate songs meet the expectations of this very demanding market. If I remember right an average of 60,000 songs are uploaded every day to Spotify alone”, she says.
In fact, the volume of published songs has been growing significantly in the last 5 years, so much so that recorded music in Spain grew by 12.13% in 2022, as shown in the latest report made public by PROMUSICAE , the association of Music Producers of Spain. A trend that accelerated since 2020. The free time enjoyed by many artists during the pandemic boosted the constant creation and we went into a frenzy of releases.
A creative need?
In the last year, Spanish singer Lola Índigo released 4 new tracks: ‘Toy Story’, ‘AN1MAL’, ‘Discoteka’ with María Becerra and ‘Corazones rotos’ with Luis Fonsi. On average, she dropped one song every three months, which is a considerable work rate, taking into account that two of those tracks are international collaborations. In the year of ‘Motomami’, Rosalía, one of the most prolific artists in the country, released 2 extra songs: ‘Despechá’ and ‘El Pañuelo’ with Romeo Santos. In 2023 she debuted with ‘LLYLM‘ and even the EP ‘RR’ featuring urban hitmaker and fiancé Rauw Alejandro. Their collab ‘BESO‘ has rapidly reached the top of the charts.
@rosalia RЯ @rauwalejandro ♬ BESO – ROSALÍA & Rauw Alejandro
«I try to be constantly making music because it’s a necessity for me, I need to be in constant movement, preparing things, I think I’m hyperactive. I do try to always put out new music, try to make each song different from the previous one, but I also don’t put a pressure of deadlines on myself, or I try not to because it could affect the creative process,» Rosalía explained to LOS40 in a 2021 interview, about the concept of ‘Always on artist’.
This great level of production is also transferred to the work teams, who have to put together communication and development campaigns for these songs at full speed. Carla Varona, Label manager of Sinestesia (RLM), explains that the industry has changed a lot in recent years: «From releasing albums annually (at most) to songs monthly. If you want to keep your platform profiles alive, not to lose monthly listeners, everything is made to give content every 28 days».
«I always say that we are not ‘churros factories’, that art needs its time. Creativity has no timetables, it’s unfeasible to be producing at this speed. Independent labels can’t keep that pace, there is no way to maintain this level of investment with how slow the recovery is. In our case, we are not releasing singles every month. Instead, we usually release every two or three months, for a matter of capacity and quality», she continues.
Impressing the TikTok algorithm
In this regard, Lourdes Salazar, LOS40’s social media expert, explains that «it is clear that TikTok is a social network that is very helpful to artists because its reach is impressive. We are talking about the fact that a single video can be played millions and millions of times, something that practically no other social network can give you. Many artists that we listen to today have been discovered by the viralization of one of their songs on TikTok. And this social network not only gives you reach, but also generates organic traffic to other platforms, since many viewers, after watching the video, go straight to listen to the full single».
In this sense, Shakira, Karol G, Young Miko, TINI, Tiago PZK or Emilia Mernes are some of the artists that usually use TikTok to create trends after releasing a new song.
@shakiraLoving your creations! Found this one from @belladose and had to try it!♬ Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 – Bizarrap & Shakira
In the field of communication, the head of the Panorámica Agency Laura Estudillo adds her vision: «Now the market itself demands a greater impact in a shorter time to continue developing a song. If the algorithm does not recognize possibilities in that song, it will not promote it. You still have the classic channels (radio, TV, press) to make a song known and they still work as fantastic prescribers, but let’s not fool ourselves, it’s the platforms that carry the weight of the industry», she explains
But how can the algorithm’s demands affect creativity? This is Laura’s answer, as an expert in artist communication: «There are so many singles being released all the time, it’s getting harder and harder to get the attention of the public/media with single singles, unless you’re an established artist. It’s an unbearable pace for both the musician and the average listener. We are immersed in the culture of fast consumption music, which means that the quality obviously goes down, but there will always be proposals that shine above the average».
Dealing with the new paradigm
Like Rosalía, Balvin or Lola Índigo, many artists have a knack for constantly creating. Also an incredible capacity for work, but how might it psychologically affect other creators who don’t meet this volume of production? «This produces an extra level of pressure and a very high level of demand on artists, something that goes right against what an artist needs, which is to play and enjoy in order to develop,» psychologist Paula Sánchez Alarcón explains to LOS40. «On a creative way, this level of demand could slow down their production because an artist’s brain needs to be calm to find what is happening. Creativity is not something we should push», she states.
@tinistoessel #MuñecasChallenge este juEvessssssSSSSSSSSSSSSS🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾 @La Joaqui @Steve Aoki ♬ Muñecas – TINI & La Joaqui & Steve Aoki
But for this expert, everyone has their own rhythms and there is no right or wrong number. Simply put, each one must attend to his or her circumstances. «There are artists who will make one album and others will make ten. One thing is not better than the other, it simply means that each person has to make their own way.»
The future: is this model sustainable over time?
The truth is that everyone in the industry appreciates the work capacity of these artists. «To me it seems almost titanic and it is to be valued, of course, but it throws you into an endless spiral. There are many artists who can’t, who need their time and you have to respect that… Nowadays it’s not just about composing and playing, so you have to work very hard to be the best and not fall into oblivion. Each single release carries a very powerful economic and human effort behind it that nobody sees», she explains.
The way in which each singer conducts his or her project must be very personal, which is why there are still many artists who prefer to develop their career outside of this paradigm.
As Estudillo reminds us: «It is curious to observe how big stars like Beyoncé, SZA or Kendrick Lamar are moving away from this model and are betting on releasing albums without advance singles. Perhaps this is the beginning of a change of cycle in which the album concept will be at the center of the strategy. It will be very interesting to see how the market drifts in the years to come…».