4 ms·

I don't see the lie here. :) Many of us in the music industry have been doing more single-based releases than album-based, because there really is no point to

I don't see the lie here. :) Many of us in the music industry have been doing more single-based releases than album-based, because there really is no point to albums anymore. If you have a couple of tracks that all fit together, by all means, release them at once. But music isn't album-driven anymore, it's track-driven, and has been for a very long time.

ZoomZoomZoom 6y ago
>But music isn't album-driven anymore, it's track-driven, and has been for a very long time. This is exactly the problem: the technological advances changed the music consumption and music, unfortunately, follows. So instead of empowering the artists with more creative freedom it forced everyone to follow the same route. It's appalling.
- WA 6y ago
  I don’t know. Even back when CDs where still a thing, I never listened/liked the full album of any band. I think the most was like 50%. Maybe the technological advancements only make visible what was there before: only a minority listens to everything by one artist. Most people prefer a song or two and skip the rest, but they aren’t forced to buy the whole album anymore.
- Juliate 6y ago
  On the other hand, technology has always shaped music: each instrument's specific technology shaped what could be done, or not done, with it. And how disks, then tapes, then disks again, before Internet, all shaped how music was "packaged", experienced and distributed outside of live concerts.
KozmoNau7 6y ago
That may be true in your corner of the music industry. In the corners I'm familiar with (metal, rock, a bit of punk, various niche crossovers), the album is still king. Most artists will drop an album every couple of years and maybe an EP or two in between. Some of the most beloved and admired artists have released maybe 3 or 4 albums over a multi-decade career. They put together concept albums that work as a whole. Some will put out 40+ minute albums as a single track, because it's meant to be listened to in full, and needs you to take the time to do so. There has been a slow change more towards EPs, especially for the more underground and independent bands. There's no reason to make a full album if you have 3-4 tracks that stand up on their own as a cohesive whole. In the old days, label's would often force artists to pad out those with filler tracks, just to produce a "full album". These artists make their money through merch sales and touring, and it works because of a dedicated fanbase. Popular music may be singles-driven and I would say that it has always been so. Thankfully there is a lot more out there than popular music. For all I care, every single one of the big labels and streaming services could disappear tomorrow.

ZoomZoomZoom 6y ago

>But music isn't album-driven anymore, it's track-driven, and has been for a very long time. This is exactly the problem: the technological advances changed the music consumption and music, unfortunately, follows. So instead of empowering the artists with more creative freedom it forced everyone to follow the same route. It's appalling.

WA 6y ago
I don’t know. Even back when CDs where still a thing, I never listened/liked the full album of any band. I think the most was like 50%. Maybe the technological advancements only make visible what was there before: only a minority listens to everything by one artist. Most people prefer a song or two and skip the rest, but they aren’t forced to buy the whole album anymore.
Juliate 6y ago
On the other hand, technology has always shaped music: each instrument's specific technology shaped what could be done, or not done, with it. And how disks, then tapes, then disks again, before Internet, all shaped how music was "packaged", experienced and distributed outside of live concerts.

KozmoNau7 6y ago

That may be true in your corner of the music industry. In the corners I'm familiar with (metal, rock, a bit of punk, various niche crossovers), the album is still king. Most artists will drop an album every couple of years and maybe an EP or two in between. Some of the most beloved and admired artists have released maybe 3 or 4 albums over a multi-decade career. They put together concept albums that work as a whole. Some will put out 40+ minute albums as a single track, because it's meant to be listened to in full, and needs you to take the time to do so. There has been a slow change more towards EPs, especially for the more underground and independent bands. There's no reason to make a full album if you have 3-4 tracks that stand up on their own as a cohesive whole. In the old days, label's would often force artists to pad out those with filler tracks, just to produce a "full album". These artists make their money through merch sales and touring, and it works because of a dedicated fanbase. Popular music may be singles-driven and I would say that it has always been so. Thankfully there is a lot more out there than popular music. For all I care, every single one of the big labels and streaming services could disappear tomorrow.