Is the ability to purchase single songs online killing the concept of the album?

Question

Before I get into this, I want to say that I have an iTunes account and plenty of 99 cent charges to it.

Before downloading was available I can remember buying CD's like crazy from the bands I liked and followed, and even bands I had just heard good things about. When buying these albums, you always had the band's singles at your fingertips, but also additional material. In quite a few cases there were songs on the album that I liked more than the song it was purchased for, and I never would have heard it if I didn't have the whole thing.

And then there are compilations...I typically bought them for one band, but through them I have been introduced to bands I was not familiar with before.

Now with millions of songs at our fingertips, we have the ability to pick and choose our songs a la carte which can, in some cases, leave a ton of material undiscovered. Is the convenience of single-song downloading worth it?

Dani G - yeah, that kind of money was hard to come by sometimes in the teenage years. That brings back memories. :)

Heva - GREAT point! Sometimes artists use track order on albums to build things conceptually. Acquiring single songs for those albums completely defeats the purpose.

lovnrckets & RJR bring up good points about the record companies, and I agree. They have been ripping off both the artist and the consumer for too long now, and they will end up paying the price in the end.

Deke - good question. I need to give that some thought...

There are good points on both sides of the issue here. Thanks for your great answers!

Answer 1

it has its good points and bad points........

when I was younger (80s/90s) sometimes it sucked that I'd have to fork over 8.99 for a cd to get one song (if it wasn't released as a single). Now, we have the liberty of doing that so easily.

I will ever remain an album person......there's something in the experience of it ..........also I got used to it w/ cassettes (sometimes its just easier to listen through instead of fast forwarding along). Some of my favorite songs are b-sides and I wouldn't have discovered them otherwise.

Answer 2

The internet and downloading are a very real threat to the album. However, I think the RIAA needs to start being held accountable in part for how we got to this point. When the CD was first introduced in the mid 80's, the price per CD was around $15-18. Usually when new technologies come out, the price starts out high and gradually comes down, much like plasmas have. However, there was such greed on the part of the labels, the prices never really dropped. So as you can imagine, the industry started to flip out when Napster came around. Instead of embracing the new technology they found it more prudent to start suing teenagers, a very prudent PR move on their part. I am convinced that had the labels been kept honest, the CD would still be selling. I still like something tangible, the liner notes, the artwork, etc. I'm sure many others do too. Maybe I'm in the minority but I think both can co-exist.

One other thing. The demise of Tower Records stores is much worse than I realized. Good luck finding anything you want at Best Buy.

Answer 3

I think it is. I love to be able to get online and download the one song I like from a band. Sometimes the rest of the album just sucks. On the other hand, before I was able to buy songs online, and I had to buy the whole cd, I discovered songs on the album that I really loved and probably never would have heard had I not bought the entire cd. I download alot of songs from iTunes, but when it's a band I really like I go out and buy the album from the store. I like to actually have the cd and look at the pictures, and read all the lyrics. And I love to read the artists thanks. They are so interesting! =)

Answer 4

Because consumers can buy individual songs now, and not be strong-armed into buying an entire CD, album, etc., that more and more artists (and in turn, producers) are playing for the single (pun intended) rather than the homerun. Lots of musicians are pouring themselves into a few songs, and the rest of the album is simply filler. It's damaged not only creativity, but integrity.

Case in point : What was the last great album? The last one I can think of is 'Jagged Little Pill', and that was well over 10 years ago.

Answer 5

Yes, I think so. I've been buying CDs for the last 13 years and will continue to do so. I understand there are a lot of people out there who just listen to whatever is on the radio, but I don't understand why. The radio plays a certain set of songs over and over and over every day, and then these people download the songs just so they can listen to it even more. What about all the great songs that aren't getting heard? When it comes to most of my favorite bands, I think their absolute best songs aren't even the ones that are played on the radio. Take bands like Staind and Nickelback...all you hear on radio are the soft radio ballad songs that are meant to appeal to a mainstream audience. But the rest of the stuff on their albums rocks much harder and is usually better material in general. People need to dig deeper than just what is being forced down their throats. Also, most of my favorite albums don't have just one stand-alone song...they have a whole set of songs that take you on a journey that is enjoyable all the way through. Radio kills that and so does just downloading a single song. There is so much great music out there that won't be heard by certain people because they only listen to what's popular.

P.S.: Nothing annoys me more than someone who tells me their favorite group, but then can't even list the names of their albums.

Answer 6

[Disclosure: I haven't read everything on this Q.]

The record company killed the concept of the album years ago charging $18 bucks for albums by flash in the pan bands with one or two listenable songs. I stopped buying albums 8 -10 years ago and didn't restart to buy music (including complete albums) until I got my iPod/iTunes.

*ADDED THOUGHT* Digital music is awesome because the shear variety. I live in a big city and our local record stores can hold how many units in the store? And pre-determined amount of space has to go to the crap played on the KISS station, because that's what makes money. Now imagine you live in rural Nebraska - how does a kid discover non-MTV music in Nebraska?

Compare to a digital music store that can stock unlimited selection. Sure, you can get the new American Idol CD, but you also have the complete catalog of everyone from Sam Cooke to the Aquabats to U2 b-sides to early 90's ska acts - you name it.

Answer 7

I agree with you that some discoveries can be lost with the advent of singles downloading, but there are pluses as well. If you don't like the whole album, now you no longer have to pay for songs that you don't like. This is why I have Rhapsody instead of iTunes. For $14.99/month I can listen to as many full length songs as I want on my computer. I have a Rhapsody player, and I can download as many songs as it will hold under that $14.99 agreement. This allows me to try out new stuff and decide what I want to listen to. I have made many discoveries of new artists this way, since I don't have to pay .99 for every song that I want to listen to in full.

Answer 8

Yes, it is...

I believe the best part of buying an album is going through the art while listening to the music. Something you can't experience, when you download music.

Also some songs on albums go together, as one song ends, the next song pick ups quickly, so the flow of the music doesn't stop and when you dowload them as a single, you don't get the same effect.

Answer 9

lovnrckets took the words right out of my mo.... er.... keyboard. The labels have ruined the music business for the consumer with extravagant pricing and by signing here-today-gone-tomorrow bands that no one will remember.

I'm also an album guy... I like to hold the disc, look at the pictures, read the liner notes and the lyrics... downloading just isn't the same.

Answer 10

i agree with that statement. although i still buy complete albums...everytime i have bought an album...i like almost all the songs...and end up hating the singles because thats all that most "mainstreamers" (i think i made that word up) listen to, is singles. plus i judge how good a band is on their whole albums..not just a few songs.