Does song order matter on Bandcamp albums? What about the "Featured" track?
Hell yes, they do!!
First, let's consider the track order. Look at your Stats page -- 99% of the time (based on the dozens of bands I've worked with), fans will start at the top of the track list and the number of listens will fall off with each subsequent track.
Does that mean that fans don't like your music? Nope. What it does mean, we live in a world where fans are used to quickly doing a preview of a song and then moving on if they don't want to stick around. And yea, they might only give your song 5 seconds.
Hell yes, they do!!
First, let's consider the track order. Look at your Stats page -- 99% of the time (based on the dozens of bands I've worked with), fans will start at the top of the track list and the number of listens will fall off with each subsequent track.
Does that mean that fans don't like your music? Nope. What it does mean, we live in a world where fans are used to quickly doing a preview of a song and then moving on if they don't want to stick around. And yea, they might only give your song 5 seconds.
How (and WHY) to send out download codes on Bandcamp
Should you care about this? Not necessarily. The artist's golden rule is to make the music you want, and part of that is to list the songs in the order that you want.
But if you want more listens and plays for your music, try these ideas:
- rank your songs by the strongest / best / greatest at the top, sort of like a top 10 list
- don't use a soft or subtle or quiet intro track
- make the first 5 seconds of the first song count with a hook or riff that grabs your fans and keeps them going
- set the first track as the "Featured" track (or, "preview") rather than a track further down the list, so that fans will get to hear the entire album when they hit the Play button (and yes, this assumes your strongest songs are at the beginning); Bandcamp will set the first track by default as the featured track, so you don't need to worry about this unless you've re-ordered the tracks on the album
Some more tips regarding the "Featured" track:
- make this the first track of your album -- do NOT pick a track further down the list (as noted above)
- the first track on your album needs to grab your listeners, and do it in the first 5 or 10 seconds (think about how fans skip tracks on Spotify)
- pick a song which will appeal to NEW listeners; assume they have never heard your music before -- what's the song you most want them to hear?
You might only get one chance and few seconds to convert a new listener into a fan and a follower on Bandcamp, so put the Featured track (and the track list order) to work for you!!
Comments or feedback to fuzzycracklins@gmail.com
