Is the importance of Albums Dying?

How many casual music listeners do you know that still buy or even look foward to albums?

I'm not talking about the die hard heads but your average music listener. Do they really care about an album? With the industry even more than ever being driven on the now and hot songs. And the ready access of internet free download. Soon will there be no point to make an ablum? Most cats I know only download songs and if they get an album they hear it one-two times maybe and its lost in the shuffle. Now the industry is pushing EP's again just to see if there artist has sell power and if its even a point to put out an album by said artist.

Also one more question. Do any of you find it odd or hard to want to listen too albums on your mp3 players/ipod's?

I have co-workers who mock me for having a cd player on my desk and taking different cd's with me to work everyday. I don't even own an Ipod

VERY good question here KRob. With the complete oversaturation of mixtapes now and renewed push of EPs now as you mentioned, the importance of albums are remotely close to dying a slow death. I don't think the average music listener really care about albums now, and you made some good points regarding this also. I'm also like Terry in that I don't own an Ipod (or an MP3 player). I thought about buying one, but then I was like "what's the point" you know. I'm essentially going to remain traditional, as in still buying CDs and continuing to add to my collection. I can't find myself converting to downloading specific songs.

I don't think it's dead but the music industry won't be the same post-restructuring. New music is something people will continue to crave. Some artist will come along that can captivate you for more than five minutes and the industry will attempt to find more like them. Singles are great but true album makers create repeat business which is what the industry truly wants.

There's a way around this but the music industry is notoriously slow to adapt. The movie industry is still relevant and making money, but for some reason the recording industry is still sitting on it's ass, watching the world pass it by.

I still rotate cd's in my car and occasionally at home. I use an ipod for the job and even in the car at times. The ipod/mp3 player is a great invention and I am very very grateful for it. But it takes something out off the music experiance for me. I'm sure age and the era I grew up in is 65-70% of it.

I tried to cut cd's out of my daily routine period one time. And decided i'll just pick albums on my ipod to bump in the car. That only lasted a day or two before I felt the need to go back to cd's.

If I'm listening to music anywhere other than my house, it's CDs

Shaun wrote:

If I'm listening to music anywhere other than my house, it's CDs

Yeah thats easy for us but the majority of your listeners only download. And who feels any true connection with a free digi album very often?

I do see what Peterson was saying with the album driven artist will always have the staying power. But these new schoolers have even shorter attention spans than the generation before. The media has an even shorter attention span. They download a bunch of hot songs and then feel they can debate with a head about hip hop because they have all these random rap songs.

KRob TheRapGod wrote:

How many casual music listeners do you know that still buy or even look foward to albums?

I'm not talking about the die hard heads but your average music listener. Do they really care about an album? With the industry even more than ever being driven on the now and hot songs. And the ready access of internet free download. Soon will there be no point to make an ablum? Most cats I know only download songs and if they get an album they hear it one-two times maybe and its lost in the shuffle. Now the industry is pushing EP's again just to see if there artist has sell power and if its even a point to put out an album by said artist.

Also one more question. Do any of you find it odd or hard to want to listen too albums on your mp3 players/ipod's?

Honestly, there are very few albums that I look forward to anymore, basically because the overall quality of the hip-hop (and even R&B for that matter) has declined. Back in the 80's and 90's you'd have several classic albums come out every year. Nowadays you're lucky to have 1 or 2 classics drop if any at all. I used to get hyped about albums but not anymore, because I've been let down so many times in the last decade that it isn't even funny. There are only a few artists nowadays who's music I'll blind buy, and that list is getting shorter every year.

As for playing music on my iPod, I have absolutely NO PROBLEM playing it on there. The iPod is one of the greatest inventions ever. Granted, I still play CD's from time to time but I find it more convenient to upload my CD's onto my computer and then put them on my iTunes playlist so I'll more music at my fingertips at all times. Another reason why it's cool is because you can avoid the skip tracks on a given CD by simply not putting them on your playlist.

I often find myself hookin my iPod into my car or stereo and bumpin it. Sometimes I'll bump an entire album and other times I'll put it on shuffle if I wanna hear music from various artists at one time. It's basically no different from making a mix CD, which I also do from time to time.

The new iPod's nowadays also have a feature called "Genius" in which you can pick a song, and it'll randomly make a 25 song playlist for you based on similar tracks to the first song you picked if you like. I love it personally. The digital age is awesome. It gives you more music with less effort.

I keep my ipod on shuffle also and sometimes I pick a artist to shuffle there enitre catalog song wise.

And KJ I think thats semi part of the problem or dilemma. When you say the digital age gives you more music with less effort. I think we get sooo much random music we rarely have time to really let an album or artist really soak in. I'm not saying I have a major problem with the digital age nor am I against it. But I have noticed that something is misssing from today's casual listeners.....passion.

KRob TheRapGod wrote:

I keep my ipod on shuffle also and sometimes I pick a artist to shuffle there enitre catalog song wise.

And KJ I think thats semi part of the problem or dilemma. When you say the digital age gives you more music with less effort. I think we get sooo much random music we rarely have time to really let an album or artist really soak in. I'm not saying I have a major problem with the digital age nor am I against it. But I have noticed that something is misssing from today's casual listeners.....passion.

I agree, and i'm just as guilty as anyone else. I'm always on the look out for the next purchase, and i rarely let an album sink in with repeated listens before i'm off to the next purchase or download. Just recently i've decided to purchase less and i've gone through random artists and albums in my collection, and it's like rediscovering the music, ande i find myself liking these albums more than before. It's like an epiphany of sorts. For instance, i've always loved All We Got Iz Us, but as of late i can't stop spinning Shut Em Down. As a result Onyx is really moving up ther ladder as one of my favorite groups.

I listen to my IPOD all the time now. I just have my CDs safely sitting in their cases where they can't get scratched are harmed. I tend to have bad luck with my Ipod/MP3s though. Seems like Im buying one every 6 mos cause they go on the fritz. This is when I go back to my CDs temporary until I pony up the dough to buy another thingamuhjig. Sorry, digital music just make things easier. Also I have CDs that are scratched to the point it ruins songs but when I copy that CD on digital format sometimes that scratch is undetected so I can now listen to the CD like its brand new.

On another subject there are few groups that get me relly excited. Monsta Island, SCFBros. and Busdriver is about it.

T. Myers wrote:

KRob TheRapGod wrote:

I keep my ipod on shuffle also and sometimes I pick a artist to shuffle there enitre catalog song wise.

And KJ I think thats semi part of the problem or dilemma. When you say the digital age gives you more music with less effort. I think we get sooo much random music we rarely have time to really let an album or artist really soak in. I'm not saying I have a major problem with the digital age nor am I against it. But I have noticed that something is misssing from today's casual listeners.....passion.

I agree, and i'm just as guilty as anyone else. I'm always on the look out for the next purchase, and i rarely let an album sink in with repeated listens before i'm off to the next purchase or download. Just recently i've decided to purchase less and i've gone through random artists and albums in my collection, and it's like rediscovering the music, ande i find myself liking these albums more than before. It's like an epiphany of sorts. For instance, i've always loved All We Got Iz Us, but as of late i can't stop spinning Shut Em Down. As a result Onyx is really moving up ther ladder as one of my favorite groups.

I see where you're coming from with rediscovering the music Terry. I'm actually doing the same thing nowadays man.

The album as we know it is bound to go by the wayside reasonably soon. For most of our lifetimes "albums" have been structured within the 80-minute capacity of a standard Compact Disc, and in most cases this resulted in the same 40-60 minute running time of pop albums that could fit about that much time on a standard vinyl LP. As albums are still released on CD but increasingly going digital, this practice will remain, but with digital-only releases becoming normal I imagine that less weight will be given to albums.

Plus the formats across the boards have changed--hip hop has furthered its distance from radio, and lots of artists give greater weight to mixtapes, "street albums," singles/ringtones, and live performance.

ctrx wrote:

The album as we know it is bound to go by the wayside reasonably soon. For most of our lifetimes "albums" have been structured within the 80-minute capacity of a standard Compact Disc, and in most cases this resulted in the same 40-60 minute running time of pop albums that could fit about that much time on a standard vinyl LP. As albums are still released on CD but increasingly going digital, this practice will remain, but with digital-only releases becoming normal I imagine that less weight will be given to albums.

Plus the formats across the boards have changed--hip hop has furthered its distance from radio, and lots of artists give greater weight to mixtapes, "street albums," singles/ringtones, and live performance.

Well said, especially your points about mixtapes, street albums, and singles/ringtones.

ctrx wrote:

The album as we know it is bound to go by the wayside reasonably soon. For most of our lifetimes "albums" have been structured within the 80-minute capacity of a standard Compact Disc, and in most cases this resulted in the same 40-60 minute running time of pop albums that could fit about that much time on a standard vinyl LP. As albums are still released on CD but increasingly going digital, this practice will remain, but with digital-only releases becoming normal I imagine that less weight will be given to albums.

Plus the formats across the boards have changed--hip hop has furthered its distance from radio, and lots of artists give greater weight to mixtapes, "street albums," singles/ringtones, and live performance.

Well if thats the case it will be a wrap for me soon. I'll just stick to the oldies like our parents and their parents did before us. I have never been a fan of mixtapes. They seem to not have the care an album has put in them. When shit is free who cares how they treat it? And artist have to release so much to stay relevant.

I think the only true survivors who will continue to feed the album hungry crowd will be the ones who establish a true blue fanbase.

KRob TheRapGod wrote:

I keep my ipod on shuffle also and sometimes I pick a artist to shuffle there enitre catalog song wise.

And KJ I think thats semi part of the problem or dilemma. When you say the digital age gives you more music with less effort. I think we get sooo much random music we rarely have time to really let an album or artist really soak in. I'm not saying I have a major problem with the digital age nor am I against it. But I have noticed that something is misssing from today's casual listeners.....passion.

I pick artists to shuffle their entire catalog as well sometimes.

As for your second paragraph, I'm definitely more than just a casual listener. I'm VERY passionate about my hip-hop, it's just that today's hip-hop albums don't give you skip free material very often so putting the dope songs on my iPod eliminates that issue. Believe me though, I always spin a CD at least twice before I decide which tracks are dope and which are skippable. IPod's are hella convenient though because you don't have to bring all of your CD's with you in the whip when you're traveling because they'll be in your iPod. I still buy CD's though and always will, but I try before I buy now more than ever because of the decline of the genre. An album must be 4 stars or better in order for me to wanna buy it.

I also understand where Terry is coming from as well. For quite some time I've felt that The Fix was my favorite Scarface album, but I've been bumpin The Diary a lot lately and now that album has taken that spot. In fact, I'd say The Diary is now my second favorite southern album next to Aquemini now.

To answer your question though, I don't think the importance of albums in general has died, but aritsts today seem to have this arrogant attitude that people will buy their shit even if it's wack, especially those who are known for going platinum or better frequently and that pisses me off. I refuse to be one of those people, hence trying before buying.

if im driving i usually listen to CDs, sometimes ipod but usually CDs. At home i liten to CDs or mp3s on my computer. I listen to my ipod when im walking or at the gym or something like that.

Also, I almost always listen to full albums on my ipod. I hate borrowing ipods from friends because they never have the full damn albums just a couple random songs and that shit pisses me off so much. Im big on listening to the albums the way they were made and hate constantly having to switch an ipod if there is only a couple tracks to choose from on an album. Also, besides full albums the ipod is good for playlists. So i either listen to a playlist of a bunch of stuff or full albums...so when i borrow friends ipods it sucks and i alway end up making an "on the go" playlist

" I don't think the importance of albums in general has died, but aritsts today seem to have this arrogant attitude that people will buy their shit even if it's wack, especially those who are known for going platinum or better frequently and that pisses me off. I refuse to be one of those people, hence trying before buying. "

I think the main reason albums are no longer the norm is because of the increase in 'mixtapes' and digital albums. But, you made a good point about the arrogance of fools

Shaun wrote:

" I don't think the importance of albums in general has died, but aritsts today seem to have this arrogant attitude that people will buy their shit even if it's wack, especially those who are known for going platinum or better frequently and that pisses me off. I refuse to be one of those people, hence trying before buying. "

I think the main reason albums are no longer the norm is because of the increase in 'mixtapes' and digital albums. But, you made a good point about the arrogance of fools

Glad you saw my point, and I see yours also. Digital/MP3 albums still count towards an artists' total sales and are cheaper than physical copies so I can see why someone would go that route. I personally prefer physical copies though if they're available, otherwise I'll stick with downloading them for free (i.e. All Day I Dream About Spittin).

I also agree with Kevin in that I'm not the biggest fan of mixtapes. I'll listen to them, but I don't hold them in the same regard as albums because more times than not a mixtape track will often times land itself on an artists album anyway.

Personally, I'd rather have a rapper drop an official mixtape or EP than a digital album. I hate having dope music when there is no way to have a physical copy.

Shaun wrote:

Personally, I'd rather have a rapper drop an official mixtape or EP than a digital album. I hate having dope music when there is no way to have a physical copy.

Same here, I don't see the point of a rapper droppin a "digital only" album because that just decreases their chances of bigger sales. I don't buy mixtapes though, I just download them for free. I'll buy an EP though if it's priced correctly.

Big Daddy Kool wrote:

Shaun wrote:

Personally, I'd rather have a rapper drop an official mixtape or EP than a digital album. I hate having dope music when there is no way to have a physical copy.

Same here, I don't see the point of a rapper droppin a "digital only" album because that just decreases their chances of bigger sales. I don't buy mixtapes though, I just download them for free. I'll buy an EP though if it's priced correctly.

Another cosign. You won't ever catch me buying a mixtape. I'd have no problem buying an EP.

Big Daddy Kool wrote:

Shaun wrote:

Personally, I'd rather have a rapper drop an official mixtape or EP than a digital album. I hate having dope music when there is no way to have a physical copy.

Same here, I don't see the point of a rapper droppin a "digital only" album because that just decreases their chances of bigger sales. I don't buy mixtapes though, I just download them for free. I'll buy an EP though if it's priced correctly.

I see the point and it actually helps with a chance to increase sales. It cost money to print physical albums that may just sit in some stores forever. And then you may not have a demand for your physical product so stores do not buy enough, There are not many people who go to the store to purchase cd's. Hence the major drop in sales. And not many are foolish enough to buy a digial copy when they can get the same thing for free.

"I see the point and it actually helps with a chance to increase sales. It cost money to print physical albums that may just sit in some stores forever."

I agree. But...

"And not many are foolish enough to buy a digial copy when they can get the same thing for free."

I will not buy a digital album.

I will buy a mixtape if it is officially pressed and whatnot, though.

I wouldn't say dying but I will say that complete albums are no longer at the forefront of the minds of many popular artists or the average consumer. Success in the music industry is heavily dependent on "hot" singles. People seem to to go in the studio focused on recording some "heat" for the radio so the importance of the album seems to become diminished. People make fun of me all the time for buying CDs and vinyl. They always ask me what's the point.

I use the ipod for traveling and at work listening. Its just easier. I used to go on vacations with a carry on full of CD books. That shit could be rough at times cuz. lol. That being said, it just isn't the same as opening up a new CD and reading the liner notes while you spin it the first time. Digital will never replace physical copies IMHO.

Wow man, I guess I'm the only asshole on this forum that doesn't pay for music. The last album that I bought a physical copy of was Ghostface's Fishscale in 2004 I think. I had already been an avid downloader since the onset of Napster back in the day but in 04 I found out about torrent dl's and never looked back. I ABSOLUTELY HATE not having a complete album, though. That's why using Napster and then Limewire was such a pain in the ass, it was hard to find every single track on an album, including skits. I'm glad that I don't have a giant CD book anymore either, that was horrible. Digital music is the shit and I'm glad CD's are disappearing, it's much easier to carry around my iPod and/or external hard drive.

I think the most important thing that KRob said was that CASUAL listeners are the ones concerned with hot singles. True music fans will always be hungry for full length cohesive albums. To answer the question, though, yes, I do think the importance of albums is dying because there are too many casual listeners these days. And that is sad as fuck.

KRob TheRapGod wrote:

How many casual music listeners do you know that still buy or even look foward to albums?

I'm not talking about the die hard heads but your average music listener. Do they really care about an album? With the industry even more than ever being driven on the now and hot songs. And the ready access of internet free download. Soon will there be no point to make an ablum? Most cats I know only download songs and if they get an album they hear it one-two times maybe and its lost in the shuffle. Now the industry is pushing EP's again just to see if there artist has sell power and if its even a point to put out an album by said artist.

Also one more question. Do any of you find it odd or hard to want to listen too albums on your mp3 players/ipod's?

I agree entirely. However, most of my close friends do look forward to albums (they may be music junkies though), but I do find most casual listeners go for the singles.

I never listen to new music on my Creative Zen, but I load it up with classic albums. Gotta listen to something while maintaining the lawn.

I've wondered about this also. I think a lot of people don't really care about the physical albums because they have limited space, and they're cheap. It cost less to get an i-tunes album than it does for a physical copy. Plus, a lot of people only care about the music, so the artwork doesn't matter to them. There are some people out there who will download the artwork though.

Some people love music in genral, but don't take the time to actually listen to a full album. They like certain songs and see the music as just that...music. I for one like to own the physical copies of music (unless I can't get the actual disc). I also burn copies of the cds and leave the burnt copies in my car. I do that so I can have the untouched original, and if I scratch my burnt cds I can throw them away and burn another.

I'm also a try before you buy kind of person, so I see the value of the digital copy, however, I will never, ever pay for a digital copy of a cd. I prefer to own the physical album because it makes me feel like I bought a tangible product, not a piece of info that rents space in my hard drive.

thatonethere wrote:

I've wondered about this also. I think a lot of people don't really care about the physical albums because they have limited space, and they're cheap. It cost less to get an i-tunes album than it does for a physical copy. Plus, a lot of people only care about the music, so the artwork doesn't matter to them. There are some people out there who will download the artwork though.

Some people love music in genral, but don't take the time to actually listen to a full album. They like certain songs and see the music as just that...music. I for one like to own the physical copies of music (unless I can't get the actual disc). I also burn copies of the cds and leave the burnt copies in my car. I do that so I can have the untouched original, and if I scratch my burnt cds I can throw them away and burn another.

I'm also a try before you buy kind of person, so I see the value of the digital copy, however, I will never, ever pay for a digital copy of a cd. I prefer to own the physical album because it makes me feel like I bought a tangible product, not a piece of info that rents space in my hard drive.

Good points throughout but especially that part.

I was thinking while we are point the finger at the casual consumer we should point some fingers at the artist also. Do artist even put enough emphasis on there albums like they use too? They give out all this free shit that it seems like they have no pride in their on work sometimes. Artist seem to be creatively lazy or just trying to ride a dying hype and come out with sequels of previous albums. The industry does not support the full album either and I overstand why.

People laugh at me for still calling them "LP's".

The significance of albums will always be there. I really think the album is a more accurate way to rate an artist. Anyone can come up with one hit, but can they carry an entire album? That's a totally different ballgame.

But unfortunately, with the i-Tune generation as well as the downloaders, the albums are going the way of the LP.