Is the era of the album over?

Question

With the advent of online music purchasing (e.g. iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody) it has become far easier to buy only the songs you like from a particular artist rather than the entire album, enabling you to bypass the bad ones (which I call "dreck").

This is creating a phenomenon where CD sales are plummeting, but sales of "good" songs (or "hits", anyway) are rising on the online music retailer sites. Do you see albums going away, and artist releasing "mini-albums" or singles only, concentrating on a few "good" songs rather than working to put out an entire full-length CD? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Answer 1

I think we definitely are seeing artists leaning more and more toward making singles and radio hits rather than entire albums of valuable content, which does seem to reflect the demand of the public. I hope this is only a fad that will pass as new technologies arrive in music distribution and as artists continue to evolve.

In the past, I remember being so excited to buy entire albums after hearing one song, because I anticipated that the rest of the songs would all be equally enjoyable.... and because so many albums had songs that flowed together conceptually, or at least shared thematic elements. I also loved buying albums because of all the packaging and liner notes... which seem to be so much less important today. I've bought a few cds lately to be dissapointed that the packaging consisted of one page with no information at all.

I think the better artists out there will adapt to the changes in the industry. Some older artists still don't allow their music to be sold online, and there are also some who do allow it but only if a customer buys the entire album, as it was meant to be heard. So there's still hope that albums can be saved as an artform... though I think that the industry in general is forever changed. Individual songs will probably continue to be more important in the overall scheme of things.

The times they are a changing.

Answer 2

"Video Killed The Radio Star" and automated radio (early 90's) simply did that era in cold. The era of the album's end was well seen during the early 80's, when album jacket art work began taking a nose dive, followed fast by musician studio sound quality.

CD implemention quickly phased out VYNIL album sales pretty much....as Rap and "Alternative" music junked up things and made music sound all the more worse.

And the sad joke is it seems people clamor in awe for the "dreck"....or do they????

Digital online "album" music purchases are the newest angle for RIAA (Napster's bittered foe) to secure more $$$$ for themselves, the labels and signed artists; too soon to know if it'll fly strong.

Irregardless, "dreck" is a wreck without the "d" and rap is crap w/out the letter "c".

Answer 3

I sure hope not. Some of my favorite songs are not "hits" and I only know them because I bought CDs.

I think the idea of complete albums is so ingrained in the music business that they aren't going away. However, to have a CD go gold or platinum today is a much greater accomplishment than it was 10 years ago. Back then, a fan of an artist had one way to have his/her/their songs--buy the album. Now there are different ways to add songs to your collection.

Answer 4

Pink Floyd's "The Wall" is a concept album where there were a few hits but the whole album is a piece by itself. The album will never stop being made. That said, the impatient few will always cheat and download their favorite couple of songs instead of listening to the whole album as the artist intended.

The cookie cutter rap and pop albums can be a few throwaway singles if they want to be, however.

Answer 5

Well I think it is getting to be too much with the downloading music and having a friend burn you a disk of a cd. Because if no one buys cds anymore then that artist will start to loose money. And usually if you just go and buy the cd then maybe you will find that you like more songs that maybe no one has ever heard of and you'll start to like the whole cd. I'll still buy cds though even if all that other stuff is a lot more popular and easy.

Answer 6

I hope albums will never stop being made... Today people are just illegally downloading songs they like instead of buying CDs. Without albums, I don't see how most people (except true fans of their favorite bands) would even bother to listen to whole albums rather than just the popular songs that they like. Musical artists rely on albums so their fans will buy it and listen to it...

Answer 7

No. Music publishers will, and already do, take a stance of not putting certain hot numbers out on the net for some time after the album is released. That way, if you want it while it's still hot, you must buy the album.
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Answer 8

I can see this happening... It will be a good thing for the artists because they'll make more money off of the good tracks... but I love listening to the whole album, even if I hate a cirtain song, I'll eventually be singing it... thats a scary thought that there may be no more albums...

Answer 9

music: Rock With You Album: Off The Wall (1979) - It became MJ at his purest era: 1979-1984 because of the fact those have been his 2 superb albums via a mile. excursion: The undesirable worldwide excursion 87-89 became purely an miraculous spectacle and that i've got faith the optimal grossing stay overall performance excursion ever. I undergo in ideas seeing a lot of video of the stay overall performance photos with wild crowds and MJ wannabes all dressed up.

Answer 10

what's an album?