There is something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear. Like the song says, there is a change coming and consumers are liable to shift away from the venerable artist conceived album. While baby boomers maintained an allegiance to the album format as they graduated from vinyl to tape to CDs, the echo boomers, numbering 78 million, prefer the pay-per-tune route. They favor shopping online over standing in line. In a recent week, downloaders bought 1.3 million tracks while stores sold 186,000 physical singles, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Simply put, people have become empowered to create their own compilations and store them to media just like big brother. It has some performers talking.
"The entire game is changing," says singer Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. "I can handle the fact that artists are selling fewer records and making less money, but you can't take away our albums! It's a conscious step toward disposable art. On an album, the artist creates a full work of art with songs that fit together and create a mood. If we become a single-minded nation, where careers depend on hits, you won't hear challenging music that takes risks." The death of pop's primary esthetic and commercial unit evokes a variety of reactions. Cyber-savvy fans feel empowered. Confusion grips older consumers. Labels are threatened and panicked by the radical transition. Musicians are enthusiastic, dismayed or conflicted. "The disappearance of the album as an entity would be sad, but anything to do with the evolution in how people access music excites me," singer Alanis Morissette says. "I'm very album-oriented, and my highest preference is that people experience my album as a whole, but I know people can gravitate to a certain song and listen to it ad nauseum. That's their right. It's about freedom of choice." Though he agrees that the Internet is ushering in a song-oriented pop world, prolific singer/songwriter Ryan Adams intends to continue making albums. "I'm still stuck in that mode. I like the idea of creating your own world in 10 to 14 songs. I enjoy the broader scope. It's like taking in a whole exhibit, not just one painting. At the same time, there's no way to deny technology." Though albums still vastly outsell single-song downloads, a shift is looming as increasing numbers of listeners shop online and consume music piecemeal. They want handpicked tunes, not ready-made collections. "The chances of restoring growth to the pre-recorded CD business is about as slim as an Apache Indian getting elected pope," says analyst Phil Leigh of research firm Inside Digital Media. "People now have the power to make their own albums. The revolution that's hitting the record business is not just the Internet; it's also the computer itself, especially computers equipped with CD burners. People want to get the songs on their computer, manage a centralized library and organize playlists that suit their individual tastes." |
Here is a chilling comment from a familiar player in the tech industry: "The album," Apple CEO Steve Jobs recently declared, "is obsolete."
Well not so fast Steve, your report of the demise of the album may be a bit premature. However, the labels had better start offering something in album form that cannot be downloaded. The new sophisticated surround sound formats, video, extras and other innovations can surely bring value to the consumer. Give us something to buy that we can't get on the Internet and see how it sells. Continue with expensive 10 to 14 track stereo and watch the sales revenues shrink. You can read the rest of this very informative article here , it has some great thoughts and reactions. Also, feel free to discuss this issue in our Music Downloads, P2P forum .
Source: USA Today Music
