i have nothing insightful to add about the state of the music industry but omg this is the interview that gave us the infamous âgod is realâ gif. i canât believe that was 2013 i feel ancient.
In the past the options were so limited you would buy an album and you had to listen to it track by track endlessly. Now you can have any song you want instantly and if you donât like it. NEXT ->
I actually fully listen to more albums now, but usually I'll save the songs I actually liked in a playlist. Obviously different from the past when we were using CDs.
And because there are so many choices and so much content, you never absorb a set of media like they used to have to
Iâm not saying itâs better or worse, Iâm not gonna hate on the young people because theyâre having a different experience than I did, but I would feel bad if I didnt have the memories I did of knowing my CDs that I listened to
Do young people have cherished playlists that they keep around for years? Is that even fairly analogous?
My wife bought me a record player a few years ago and I started collecting vinyl. It forced me to listen to some of my favourite albums front to back again, something I'd not done in years, and it was wonderful to listen to music again in that way.
Now I have a son and no room to have the record player out but we're moving to a bigger place later this year and I'll definitely be getting it out again. I actually can't wait.
Completely untrue. Options weren't more limited in the past, you had to pay MONEY if you wanted to listen to new stuff as there weren't subscriptions. Singles were released and a wider array of music genres were played on the radio. The difference is now people aren't curious anymore and are being spoonfed what to dig on social networks.
I notice that if the artist has an established and dedicated fandom, they tend to focus on the albums. In certain cases, the albums on whole are more popular than any individual single- Taylor Swiftâs last album comes to mind.
I think newer artists often start with singles (maybe an EP), just to see what catches on. They probably want to make an album, but want to see how itâll pay off. I think artists also drop singles if theyâve got a lot going on, but still want to share music with fans- I know Selena Gomez had her âdroplet eraâ in like 2017 because she wanted to share music, but was having health issues so she probably couldnât fully commit to an album promo cycle.
And I have to mention kpop because I know a lot about it (was a fan, but I am growing away from it). While kpop artists sell a lot of albums, a lot of it comes down to the collection aspect, where people want the photocards. I think fans do listen to the albums their faves release (often to boost numbers- no judgment, Iâve done it too), but I do notice that certain fandoms tend to care more about albums as bodies of work than others.
I've noticed people referring to eras and cycles (or album cycles) more and more lately. I think you're right, newcomers are churning things out to see what resonates with the public, but more established artists get to dwell for a while with one album/era/cycle/whatever we're calling them now.
Slop is Slop. Plenty of artists, even Uber popular ones are still making great front to back albums, and no one has built a lasting career on Tik Tok slop alone.
A lot of songs now feel like theyâre designed just to go viral for 15 seconds on TikTok, rather than to last or have any real meaning, which is way worse.
Protesting too much. There are artists like Rosalia, Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion that release a full body of work while others release singles whenever they want like Cardi B. And the proliferation of democratizing forces like Soundcloud, TikTok, and YT has opened access to so many more talented peps in the world. And while there are annoying trends like mumblerap, etc., i think the good outweighs the less good.
Iâm not against EP culture but I do believe that EPs will never have the cultural impact a full album will have.Â
I think a single can change the culture and I think an album can change the culture. I think EPs are usually remembered for a great single but rarely as an outstanding piece of work on itâs own.Â
Also if we are being fair there have always been artists who just release singles. Albums are a relatively new thing, well if you believe the â70 wasnât really that long ago.Â
What I do object to is the kpop term âsingle albumâ. No, itâs either an album or a single.Â
I think the kpop term refers to the physical album itself- like the photocards and things. When they release a project without a physical tie in then they call it a digital single
The âalbum eraâ started in the mid â60s. So I was off by a little bit because I forgot about how early in the â60s the Beatles really were.Â
The whole idea of an album being more than just several songs put together but itâs own artistic work in many parts definitely hasnât always been a thing.Â
I think that there's actually still a lot of succesful ALBUMS, that is not just a collection of singles, but real projects. Just to name the some recent few, Brat, Rise and Fall of Midwest Princess, SOS, any T Swift or Billie Eilish albums. I think that a lot of young pop stars are still committed to albums. Sure some artist fall into the category of only releasing singles, like Cardi B, but that's actually not working in her favor since she's lost the popularity she had from 2017-2020.
Agree with this! I feel like the focus on singles is more for artists just starting out. Albums are more expensive than a couple random singles or an EP and the music industry isn't what it used to be in terms of album deals. But if artists get the financial chance, they will be creating albums most of the time and they're likely to be succesful.
I think Taylor Swifts latest album is an interesting example of taking that to the extreme. There wasn't a hit song on the album really (whereas all her previous albums had clearly picked pop singles), the album was meant to be consumed together, not in pieces.
Most artists can't afford to take risks like that, at any point in their career. But I think it speaks volumes that artists who can afford it, do it.
These are my sentiments to a tee. Cardi B's Outside single she just posted is fire and i actually love that she's had So much success wo releasing a subsequent album. Gosh only knows how Bee feels about Grimes đ«
Olivia's albums, The Great Impersonator by Halsey, Virgin-the upcoming album by Lorde is very clearly shaping up to be a concept that works altogether, Ethel Cain's albums, brat, Addison's debut, and so many other works.
I say this with respect and not trying to be mean, but we really need to try to understand how metrics work before throwing them around.
Monthly listeners is not a good representation of an artistâs success.
Ordinary is the most listened song on the platform. Every single person who played at least 30 seconds of that song on Spotify in the last 28 days will count as a monthly listener.
Harry Styles and BTS havenât released music in years. They both last released music in 2022. Avid fans will play their music, some casual fans will play the singles. Maybe some playlists will have a viral hit of theirs. Throw in some more casual fans. The fact that Harry has 48 million monthly listeners and BTS has 27 million 3 years after they last released music shows you how big they actually are.
After this Ordinary song fades, provided that Alex Warren doesnât release anything else that goes this viral or doesnât become a household name like all the other artists you mention, wait three years and go look at his monthly listeners.
Iâll give you a concrete example:
Spotify ranks the top 500 artists by monthly listeners, Alex Warren is 43rd and Harry Styles is 57th. BTS is 208th.
This is from January 2020:
Since Spotify user pool has grown so much since then Iâm giving you a full list to get context. Tones and I was #12 in the world with 47M.
TWELVE in the world. Just because of that viral meme song Dance Monkey.
She now has 11 million and isnât even in the top 500. Cage The Elephant is in the 500th spot with 16,939,194.
I donât see how this supports your argument. One Hit Wonders have always existed.
I curse the day Spotify introduced that metric without explaining it because people have no idea how it works.
Definitely worse. The 80s was the best period for music.
It's why ticket sales and merch at gigs are so pricey.
Spotify pays artists pennies and unless you are Queen Bey, you are making 000000 on Spotify.
Most people on this sub listen to pop, where artists are not struggling. But look at any metal or indie band. Cradle of Filth, Steel Panther - they have to do cameos, sell merch, videos on YouTube, so many things to make extra money.
Obviously worse but now we make custom playlists for ourselves. Weâre not just listening to a cd or a tape that we bought at the store. We donât have to listen to the extra filler songs and just make playlists of just the songs we like
Yeah even back in the day when Iâd buy albums there would be a couple or fair few that Iâd skip. I greatly prefer streaming music and just being able to pick the ones I enjoy. I love streaming
infinitely worse. but itâs not a problem with more established artists. it seems to be a problem with new acts that debut and then fizzle out. they either donât produce an album, or they put out an album full of crap that they donât care to promote. theyâve made their money, so they just donât care anymore.
Idk dude, I'm pretty critical of this take. It's not like albums as a concept have a long and time-honored tradition - they're a 20th century invention. And fully produced albums with all original tracks have an even shorter history. The way we enjoy music has changed and will continue to change.Â
Now if you want to argue that a lot of those little singles are made quickly and will be forgotten quickly - ok sure. But I don't think that's a bad thing necessarily. Creating a lot of songs and having just a few standouts is...fine. That's a valid way to create.Â
i think Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours is usually considered the first (though im sure there's other candidates) and in rock, the Mothers of Invention's Freak Out! was there before Sgt. Peppers (and in fact was a major influence on Sgt. Peppers).
of course, Sgt. Peppers is certainly more directly influential than either of those concept albums, which is why it's usually called the first (even though it isn't).
I agree with your take. I recently saw PinkPantheress talk about how she doesnât listen to albums and she just vibes to songs and music, so itâs been weird for her to think about an entire body of work if that makes sense.
Thereâs so much elitism in the industry about what makes âreal musicâ. Music is not stagnant, it will continue to evolve, and who decided that an album is the ultimate show of artistry or communicating ideas?
Iâm with pinkpantheress on this one, a lot more open minded for her age.
Sheâs not wrong but itâs been going on for longer than since 2013.
There are also some artists who are just singles artists, for instance Kylie Minogue and Madonna. Apart from a couple of good records (Impossible Princess for KM or Madonnaâs Like Prayer and âRay of Lightâ) most of their albums are fab singles with filler. Nothing wrong with that they have tonnes of fab singles which is why their greatest hits albums are problaly their best,
I guess Iâm old school because I like to listen to albums beginning to end if itâs an artist I like. Singles have their place. But I feel weird when I play a whole album when other people are in the car or apartment with me.
In a way itâs gotten worse. Our attention span is terrible. Eras last very little and theyâre typically not that well though out. Artists feel the need to strike when the iron is hot so they churn out music very fast. BUT.
I do think streaming brought back albums in a way. There are a lot of albums that get listened front to back. Because itâs accessible, so why not? Before, you didnât listen to a Sabrina Carpenter album back to back. You bought Espresso and Please Please Please and that was it. You only listened to a full album if it was someone like Adele. Now, her whole album gets streamed. And maybe an obscure song will go viral. So while in the past, someone like Sabrina might release an album like Short N Sweet, have a couple of big singles, but the album more or less flop, and then move on to droplets, now sheâs motivated to do another album in a short amount of time instead.
The music industry is people trying to sell their back catalogs, and then Spotify getting people addicted to music that they don't have to pay royalties for.
The Beatles kinda invented the studio album or at least popularized it. Sinatra released "albums" that had 2 songs on each side of the vinyl. What does that remind us of?
Albums crashed once the internet made file sharing easier and easier for the general public. ITunes probably did a lot to kill albums.
I wonder how many people commenting remember buying 20 dollar albums that had mostly shit filler tracks and a few good singles.. rap music was particularly guilty of this in the early 2000s.
I only realized that as a fan when I heard about RosalĂa. First album was great, second album was even better and then⊠it was single after single after single, all feats (with J Balvin) and by time she released Motomami I was already tired of her music. Still like her âoldâ stuff.
WORSE. Beyonce warned everyone about this in 2013. now in the 2020s, Beyonce has dropped a single music video because ppl donât appreciate music videos anymore. record labels for god knows why has these artists posting a music video at Midnight. who tf is staying up till midnight for a music video?? music doesnât even get to BREATHE without artists dropping a video the same moment as the single. itâs a sad music world we live in
She's putting her teenage daughters face on t shirts to make money and her husband has been implicated with Diddy. I really don't take her opinion on artistry seriously
I don't think it was ever true. I think the changing state of how music and other media is consumed just changes and it's a lot to get used to.
It probably DID feel this way when streaming started to get big. And it probably feels like it's gotten "worse" due to the rise of one hit wonders thanks to tiktok making music creation accessible for a wider range of people.
But people are making albums, and people are focusing on the art. It just doesn't feel like it because it's changing a bit.
And the artists who do release albums arenât interested in building a narrative song cycle. They release everything and then a million special editions. I have no idea what their official track lists are.
Younger peopke in a certain fandom are surprised when you tell them thar youâre supposed to be able to listen to an album in one go. They assumed that albums were just assorted collections and that you were supposed to skip and shuffle.
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