Wikipedia:Singles criteria

This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

Shortcuts WP:PROMOSINGLE WP:SINGLESCRIT WP:SINGLE?

Traditionally, promotional singles and official singles have fundamental differences; i.e. promotional singles are distributed free, while singles are distributed commercially. In the digital/streaming age, this distinction has blurred. This essay attempts to clarify generally established norms regarding the classification of singles and promotional singles on Wikipedia. While it may be useful for the digital/streaming age, not all of the following factors may apply to the music industry or song articles on Wikipedia based in the physical era.

In 2014, Billboard wrote that "the concept of what a single is has changed in the digital era. Traditionally, a single is a track released commercially and promoted to radio – often with, since the dawn of the MTV era, an official video ... But, now that songs are often released as preview tracks leading up to album releases, they can become known without radio promotion or proper video clips."^[1] These preview tracks (and other songs with limited forms of promotion) are referred to on Wikipedia as "promotional singles". Note that per Template:Infobox album, promotional singles aren't included in album infoboxes under "Singles".