I think this is very true. I frequent a music forum where the main topic of discussion is the type of commercial pop music that might be seemingly killing the album, but more often than not you’ll find the people who post there, if they care about music and see it as more than just something on the radio or background filler, will appreciate and place importance on the art of the album. I think across all genres, there will always be people who care for the format, and that even though it may evolve I can’t see the album ever disappearing.
The other thing that has caused problems is the fact that there are no real music stores anymore. The consumer is at the mercy of whoever does the ordering for Wal-Mart (where there seems to be nothing more than greatest hits albums, which are basically singles collections to begin with). Chains like HMV are a little better, but their prices are ridiculously higher than they should be. The demise of the independent record store on the corner has killed the demand for albums because there is really nowhere to sell them in quantity anymore.
Another nail in the coffin for albums is the way on-line music sources link to them. If you happen to hear, say, “Girlfriend in a Coma” by The Smiths on Pandora, and you look to see what album it is from, it is more likely than not to say “Best of the Smiths.” Arghghggh!!! That’s not what I want to know! But I guess they figure that is more likely to sell.
Or as Frank Zappa would say: conceptual continuity.
When was the last time a truly unified album came out, ala Tommy, The Wall or Joe’s Garage?
From the Wikipedia page on rock operas:
I believe there are a fair number of bands who arrange songs in the manner in which they want them heard, either for reasons of thematic continuity or because they like the way those songs work together in that sequence. If I like the way those songs string together I’ll continue trying to listen to them that way. If it’s obviously someone putting out singles plus some filler, I’ll take the filler off my iPod.
You have a good point. Just imagine if someone were to listen to Sgt Pepper, but starting off with ‘A Day In The Life’, and finishing off with ‘Fixing A Hole’, and the intervening tracks jumbled up. It just wouldn’t be the same - or as good.
If they ever stop making CDs I will mourn. But they haven’t, and I don’t think they ever will.
Or imagine Born To Run randomly arranged. You’d lose that wonderful “escape, defeat, escape , defeat” feel that contributes so much to the albums thematic unity.
From the artist perspective, this would seem to just open up more options for releasing music–some of which, like the Single/B-Side or EP, had faded away during the CD era. Want to release songs one at a time? Go for it! In groups of 4 or 5 related across a single theme (or from the same recording session or same personnel or whatever). Great! Wait until you’ve got a full hour’s worth of new material? Awesome!
Myself, I’m inclined to buy music in deliberate groupings by artists I enjoy. Today, this still takes the form of full albums mostly, but shorter forms like EPs seem to be making a comeback. If someone decided to release all their material moving forward in groupings of three or four at a time based on whatever artistic criteria they saw fit, I would be totally okay with that. In any case, I’m generally willing to try out an artist’s other songs along with whichever one(s) I’ve heard. Still the easiest way to find more music I enjoy listening to!
I’m sure there are artists–particularly on the more pop-oriented side–that will be forced to, or choose to, adapt to a more of a singles based scheme. But that’s good for them (and, really, good for Music as well) in that they’re no longer obliged to have 60 or 70 minutes worth of material with each release just for the sake of putting out a full CD that doesn’t look like a ripoff (the aforementioned “filler” syndrome).
Yes. As others have said, and I agree with, the liner notes could be interesting, plus the artwork. But I also find myself listening to a full album over the course of years, and when I hear a particular song, I can hear in my mind’s ear, the next song coming up. In a small way, that’s comforting to me.
For instance, I’ve got a vinyl copy of the Monkees Greatest Hits from around 1968 or so (I don’t have it in front of me, so I don’t know the exact year), but it’s different than the other hits albums available. It doesn’t have Aunty Grizelda, for example. I can’t listen to this particular album in any order but the original recording, since I’ve had it since I was about 6 years old.
Another reason (and a big reason I’ve stayed away from Greatest Hits collections, with the odd exception – see above) I like albums is I’ve often found songs I’ve enjoyed that weren’t the hits…the “filler” songs have often (but not always, I’ll grant you that) become some of my favorites, even more than the songs I bought the album for.
Wait, why are we pretending that the album is dead? Singles may be more relevant now than they were in the period between 45s and iTunes, but virtually every popular song in every genre I’m aware of is still part of an album. Even the artists most tied to the format of the single, like Lady Gaga and Ke$ha, release full-length albums.
The biggest exception I can think of is in hip-hop (Big Boi has been releasing some random singles, for instance), but that’s always been a more singles-focused genre.
If we’re just talking about fewer people buying the album as opposed to the single, that’s a good thing. I’ve noticed in the last five years or so albums are getting tighter and better, which I imagine is a reaction to the fact that it’s so easy for people not to buy them. So many 90’s albums, by contrast, are just endless and packed to the brim with filler.
I have to admit, I haven’t really noticed the death of the album. I still buy all my music on CD, which is not hugely more expensive than iTunes if done through a place like Amazon or B&N online, and gives you an automatic backup of something you can import into iTunes anyway.
That said, I will have my favorites on an album and often listen to those out of order - I’m not hugely sensitive to having to play the songs in the right order. But I won’t buy a CD unless I like most, if not all, of the songs on the album. Given this it doesn’t make sense that I wouldn’t just buy individual songs, yet I don’t like to. I have a hard time articulating why this is the case - I don’t seem to assign a value to a single song floating around independently without an album, yet am perfectly content to enjoy the same song over and over once I have it as part of an album. Weird!
Luckily, my music buying habits are largely inconsequential so I don’t have to spend a lot of time justifying the inconsistency to myself - I can just do what makes me happy! 
If you think “the album” is dead, you are really trying too hard to identify with modern culture. What a ridiculous post.
Wait—how do you know whether you like the songs if you haven’t bought the album yet?
You can preview them at most sites.
Usually what will happen is that I’ll be exposed to a couple of songs from a band (recommendations, Pandora, etc) that really catch my attention, and browse the remainder of the songs on the album using the preview services. Preview services are limited, but usually it is enough to give me an idea if I like the band / album in general or they just got lucky with one song.
I ONLY get albums. Almost never singles. I probably get 10 or so albums a month. So no, I am not mourning anything.
The iPod is giving me a reborn appreciation of album art. Now when I am playing my music, the artwork shows up as the wallpaper, and I am really starting to notice well done art. Tech will save us and destroy us all at once.
I’ve been burned so many times-you buy a CD and find one or two good songs, and the rest crap.
The new business model is more honest-though I miss the cover art.
How about the drivel wriiten on the backs? That stuff was usually not worth reading.
Can you give us some examples of this? I’m wondering why your experience is so much different than mine—are we buying different albums, or do we have different standards?
Ah, the old days! One of the the things I miss the most is the liner notes; I used to spend hours with them, as well. CD booklets are just not the same.
That said, I don’t think my buying habits have really changed that much, just the media. Years ago, I would buy whole albums of my favorite artists, or if I liked at least 3-4 of the songs on it; otherwise, I’d just buy singles. The same is true today, except I’ll get a CD copy of the albums I want, and get singles from iTunes. In fact, ITunes is better than vinyl this way, in that there are loads more choices available as “singles”. The downside is that I miss having a physical product, which is why I’ll buy a CD for an entire album (that and for the back-up factor).
Even on my iPod, I hardly ever use the shuffle mode. I still listen to music pretty much as I used to, choosing each song or album as I go.
I agree with those who say that some songs just don’t sound “right” unless you hear them in their “proper” place amongst an album’s other songs, regardless if they are truly “connected” or not (eg. Joe’s Garage or The Wall).