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How were albums released in the past?


Phoebe Buffay

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Phoebe Buffay

Well before y'all start calling me dumb or illiterate, I'm an 00's child and was really thinking about this the other day. :selena: So I don't know how did people know when a certain album is gonna be available in stores? :rip: Like, were there announcements on newspapers, radio, TV or sumn? :air: For example let's take Janet's Control album. How did people know that the album is gonna be out on Feb. 4, 1986? :rip:

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darkchylde

from what i've known/seen it all depended on how much your label invested on you but i assume street posters/flyers and tv promo (not just ads but star appearances) were the most common ways of letting people know you were releasing an album.

also back then physical cd singles were a thing (god i miss those, the last one i bought was applause :/) and they also included release dates, the music video and stuff about the album...

 

not sure of much else they could do cause i'm not a dinosaur so maybe some older members can elaborate better than i did

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Schizophonic

i remember a time when we had catalogs where you could order books, vhs and cds and there were releases announced months in advance.

and magazines. or just go to a shop and ask if they have something scheudled.

otherwise only while the artist promotes or more important by reading the charts.

radio and mtv were huge things too.

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MaryJaneHolland

MTV, I guess :selena:

It was relevant and was actually a music channel, not airing realities about teen moms :selena:

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Way back in the old days you'd  typically get a lead in single 4-6 weeks before the album( or 3 months if there were 2 lead in singles), along with TV and press interviews.

Then the album in the usual formats of the day, probably with a tour announcement and then follow on singles over the next 6- 12 months or so,  with videos and some other  media

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Bolkins

Magazines were a good source for music news before the internet, obviously things like the radio and music TV channels. Also CD shops were a thing, I remember spending ages browsing music and listening to stuff for free on these things 

CIMG0936.jpg

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Glamourpuss

I was a child in the nineties and it seemed that everybody listened to the radio more, still bought vinyl records and it was a common thing to go shopping at the weekend and buy a new casette tape. People paid attention to the charts more and the Christmas number 1 was a big deal back then. I remember when CD's were new and became more popular and to own a new cd was so special, it was like a deluxe product compared to a casette (God, I feel ancient writing this). 

I also remember when MJ released Earth song and the album to go with it, he was EVERYWHERE. I'd never seen promo like it before. I remember walking down the high street and there were posters everywhere in shop windows and sides of bus shelters, shops were playing his new music and he was all over TV. 

Friday and Saturday night TV in the UK was a big deal. We had Top of the Pops on a Friday where stars would perform their hit songs so people would tune into that to stay up to date. I remember The Spice Girls had a one off Saturday night special where they performed songs and spoke to the audience. I also remember buying their video tape which was a collection of their videos and behind the scenes footage as well as the making of the videos. I miss those days when artists would release stuff like that. 

But it seems that they all tried much harder back then with promo whereas now we are in the internet age, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube is all they need. It's taken the magic out of it. 

Oh yeah, and sometimes when you couldn't afford to buy the song we had to wait for it to come on the radio and quickly record it to casette tape and hope the DJ didn't talk over it. :ladyhaha:

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Whispering

Record stores would have huge displays. Ads in magazines and on radio and tv. DJs discussing upcoming albums on the radio. Articles in music magazines. Music shows or late night show performances. 

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Arturo

Basically what everyone else is saying and because of that albums used to not debut that high. Most of the time albums would reach their peaks weeks after release as word of mouth spread and radio would play the songs more and more. The #1 debuts of today were basically unheard of back then

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Glamourpuss

Come to think about it, music was a much bigger deal in the past. Quality has declined alot and anybody can be famous these days, it doesn't require talent anymore. Streaming has ruined the magic as well. It seems like now we have fast food music and it's awful. The youth of today don't know anything of what it was like in the past hence why this thread was created and the question asked.  The decline in the quality of music is a good example of why older people don't like Millennials and they don't seem to realise that what they listen to is garbage, no offence. (I'm not a millennial hater btw although I do blame them for The Kardashians grrr). :ladyhaha:

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20 minutes ago, Glamourpuss said:

Oh yeah, and sometimes when you couldn't afford to buy the song we had to wait for it to come on the radio and quickly record it to casette tape and hope the DJ didn't talk over it. :ladyhaha:

Yaaas! I remember all of this too but the bit about the DJs talking over the music on the radio reminded me of when I heard Alejandro on the radio (I'd heard it a couple of times before and hadn't bought the album yet) and I tried to record it so I could listen to it on repeat.

To this day I've still got that tape somewhere - it's my own piece of Gaga history I've kept. I was late to the iTunes game y'all before you mock me :kara:

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JustAnother
15 minutes ago, Glamourpuss said:

Come to think about it, music was a much bigger deal in the past. Quality has declined alot and anybody can be famous these days, it doesn't require talent anymore. Streaming has ruined the magic as well. It seems like now we have fast food music and it's awful. The youth of today don't know anything of what it was like in the past hence why this thread was created and the question asked.  The decline in the quality of music is a good example of why older people don't like Millennials and they don't seem to realise that what they listen to is garbage, no offence. (I'm not a millennial hater btw although I do blame them for The Kardashians grrr). :ladyhaha:

To be fair, the fact that music is so accessible now is good becuase people can pick and chose what they like. You also have to consider many people on GGD make music for fun and although it may not be your taste it’s nice for them to have an outlet to share their music.

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