Do Albums Matter Anymore?

[Sechito 490]

2 minutes ago, Economy said:

Honestly depends... Albums have that advantage of a theme... But every album tends to also rave random bops that don't even necessarily fit the theme

 

I think it's fine to put out entire collections sometimes if an artist has a theme but I think we're also entering an era where stand alone singles should become more accepted and an artist should be able to do that if they wish

 

If an artist has a good bop they wanna put out they should be able to surprise their fans and not have to be restricted by the fact that they don't have an album ready like Lady Gaga has done with The Cure

 

A lot of ppl aren't used to the idea of stand alone singles... Albums and eras are still a thing so I'm not surprised stand alone singles still have a tendency to under perform... There isn't that era hype that fans still expect

 

But overtime as ppl become more accustomed to it and they become more common and frequent... I think we will start to see more hits from stand alone singles tbh

 

The Digital era totally changes how we access music and what's possible. We should not be surprised that releasing methods start to change with it

true true, the digital era still really hasnt hit its peak, im excited to see the future of albums and singles tbh

[Sechito 490]

Found this interesting, from jazzfuel.com: ''In fact, according to a 2017 recent Nielsen report, despite on-demand audio streams increasing 62.4% compared to the same time period in 2016, there was a decrease in physical album sales (-17%) and digital album sales (-19.9%), highlighting consumer listening habits and an industry focus on single releases.''

[Economy 46,964]

Just now, Sechito said:

true true, the digital era still really hasnt hit its peak, im excited to see the future of albums and singles tbh

Yeah

 

Ppl love to criticize change in music and patterns... A lot of ppl for the longest time hated on streaming over sales so much (some ppl still do)

 

It took many ppl time to accept that streaming should be counted on charts as well

 

I'm a very nostalgic person that loves reviewing old stuff whether it be my throwback music or tv series

 

But I also think it's important not to be stubburn like those old ppl that hate on everything new

 

Things change, always have and always will

 

On this note talking about stand alone singles.... I have no doubt they will only become more common as time goes on and that's perfectly fine with me

[KNJ 4,170]

3 hours ago, LGs LM said:

Imagine not releasing an album and only offering fans with 2m-3m every two months. That would be very frustrating omg.

And yet...some fans see fit to drag Mother weekly knowing damn well  creating an era takes time smh

3 hours ago, Sechito said:

oh damn i didnt even think of contracts do you think in the future artists would have singles contracts instead of albums or smth

can you imagine a world where labels have so little faith in an artist/so callous to their needs/so surgically greedy, that they build contracts for 2 f'n songs

[Sechito 490]

Just now, KNJ said:

And yet...some fans see fit to drag Mother weekly knowing damn well  creating an era takes time smh

can you imagine a world where labels have so little faith in an artist/so callous to their needs/so surgically greedy, that they build contracts for 2 f'n songs

oh lawd...

[Sechito 490]

1 minute ago, Economy said:

Yeah

 

Ppl love to criticize change in music and patterns... A lot of ppl for the longest time hated on streaming over sales so much (some ppl still do)

 

It took many ppl time to accept that streaming should be counted on charts as well

 

I'm a very nostalgic person that loves reviewing old stuff whether it be my throwback music or tv series

 

But I also think it's important not to be stubburn like those old ppl that hate on everything new

 

Things change, always have and always will

 

On this note talking about stand alone singles.... I have no doubt they will only become more common as time goes on and that's perfectly fine with me

when even was streaming added to charts?

[Economy 46,964]

1 minute ago, Sechito said:

when even was streaming added to charts?

Some years ago. I don't remember what year exactly billboard started incorporating streams

[KNJ 4,170]

8 minutes ago, Sechito said:

Found this interesting, from jazzfuel.com: ''In fact, according to a 2017 recent Nielsen report, despite on-demand audio streams increasing 62.4% compared to the same time period in 2016, there was a decrease in physical album sales (-17%) and digital album sales (-19.9%), highlighting consumer listening habits and an industry focus on single releases.''

that's interesting ...but the pendulum definitely swinging back to analog. LP and cassette sales have risen significantly year over year. i think its a combo of people wising up to the fact that their digital catalogs are impermanent and a contract dispute away from deletion, even though they paid for it. Which in turn creates a nostalgia for tactile "real" things and the prearranged cohesion, flow and artistry of a well produced album. Inside and out

OT: I miss hidden tracks (how can you even do that digitally?) I miss liner notes (have you ever tried looking for liner notes online???)

I MISS (good) COVER ART

[GreekGod 1,085]

Artists in my country (Azerbaijan) have been doing “no album” thing for the last 15-20 years and it seems to work since industry is digital and nobody buys albums since decades. I feel like it works well with popularity but it feels like fast food.. you consume music with no binding content and it is very momentary.

[Glamourpuss 29,062]

1 minute ago, GreekGod said:

Artists in my country (Azerbaijan) have been doing “no album” thing for the last 15-20 years and it seems to work since industry is digital and nobody buys albums since decades. I feel like it works well with popularity but it feels like fast food.. you consume music with no binding content and it is very momentary.

That's exactly what I'm worried about. 

[Jester 6,275]

I'd prefer smaller conceptual (maybe 3-song) EPs more often tbh. I think that format would really suit Gaga who changes her musical direction every month lol

[March34th 1,973]

I really believe streaming ruined the album.

Not many younger demographics REALLY want to sit down and enjoy a whole album anymore, and most modern-day artists (especially pop, rap and r&b artists) don't have the creative foresight or vision to really conceptualize a proper record, so it ends up being a loose concept with like 14 songs thrown together.

I miss the days when people used to be excited for albums. When artists had more creative control on their material and were more creative. I miss when albums were properly promoted before their release with 3-4 singles and music videos with hella live performances and interviews and stuff.

Now artists release one single, throw up a pre-order, and release an album like a month after it's announcement and the hype dies. People listen to like 3 songs from the album and ignore the rest. We as a culture have really gained this short attention span when it comes to music and it's very disheartening.

[Enigma 7,182]

Imo if an artist can make an interesting album with a vision, they have way more chances of being a true star. What I hate about new pop girls is their albums are boring titles with their face as a cover and they have no theme whatsoever. The real pop girls know how to carry an era 

[Lucas 23,966]

They're the most important thing a musician can do. But yeah as we've noticed in the latest years the music industry has become way more focus on charts/streams/sales/publicity stunts etc that the music itself, therefore more commercial artists will probably give up on albums

[derpmonster 22,412]