Well known artists have more leverage with their fans than independent and underfunded acts. The album, in my experience has been important to gain respect from fans who are typically looking for artists with longevity and who are consistent. Releasing singles as part of the album is a great idea, but to just be an artist of any size who releases only singles and an E.P's worth of music over the course of 4 yrs, won't gain the time from new potential fans in my opinion and experience, what helps me earn new fans is the fact that I have written a library of songs and albums and have been working in various markets performing live. You still need to do the work I think.