Are albums dead?
 

I've seen this sentiment a lot recently ("the album as an art form or musical journey is dead/dying"), and this question is about as subjective and volatile as asking if arcades are dead on a video game forum, but...it just seems like the idea of releasing a bunch of songs that have some relation to each other in a physical form is becoming more and more antiquated (sp?), and the focus is more and more on individual songs. On one hand, it frees the artist from having to keep to a common thread and release albums on a timetable of every other year. At the same time, however, it could cause some people to shy away from experimenting or doing mood pieces because those sorts of things don't always hold up on there own-could you imagine Providence out of the context of Daydream Nation, or Scooter + Jinx out of the context of Goo? And this question easily leads to other questions, like what is role/purpose of the B-side if all songs are singles? How can up and coming musicians deal with this change or exploit it to their advantage?

I'd wager this is the wrong forum for that question. I haven't bought a single for years and years (with the odd exception) and I'd imagine most people here are similar.

Depends on what you listen to - the sort of rock that does the rounds around here is definitely album-based. On a dubstep forum they'd probably say something very different.

I still buy albums. It'll be shame if we lose them. People's attention spans will become even shorter.

I would think for this reason that this is actually a perfect forum for that question. You can't see a solution if you're part of the problem.

Well, in my case I predominantly buy classical albums, which don't have an existence outside of the album format, so there's really very little to say on that. The Classical market is thriving very healthily, and hasn't really been affected by the atrophy of the rest of the industry. Although studios are looking more towards former soviet bloc countries to record newer stuff a lot of the time (though Germany picks up quite a bit as well).

Otherwise, I buy dance compilations or second-hand albums. I don't really know this world where the album's dying. So yeah, I'm probably part of some demographic. The demographic that doesn't care about singles, at all.

This pleases me.


Your admission, on the otherhand, that you buy dance albums...

albums might fade away from popular consumption, but i'd say if anything that they may go in a similar direction to vinyl, i.e. valued by enthusiasts, but forgotten about by the public at large

That's nothing. You should see him dancing to them.

Dances like a fuckin spastic.

And if you've ever seen a spastic fucking you'll know what I mean.

I once had sex with a spastic and then killed it brutally. IT LOOKED LIKE YOUR FACE POOKIE, THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE.

I think ive subsumed myself into a totally elitist musical taste now, so i dont really take anything seriously unless its been on the second layer website, or the Volcanic Tongue website, or the Norman records website. I havent been engaged with the public at large for a very long time, i wish i could have, but i just aint.
I think theres a very good culture that goes around and lets Ducktails have over 10,000 views on youtube and Oneohtrix have a london show. The album may be declining but its not dead

yeh dood we luv bein eltist 2. hey do u wnat 2 buy this new album its an unearthed recording of me playing free jazz noise post wave steel ukelele drone while being spanked by a dood on acid who recites bad poetry about being at one with nature in 1973? its handmade and features hand drawn cover art and a substantial booklet in a stunning art inexplicably jaw dropping emotion confusion. its like total mong ultra damage lo fi sunburnt post post pyschedlica post post punk but not post punk. get it quick only 2 copies left or you will end up engaged with the public Tip O The Tongue £45.99 2xLP

Ultra Mega Highly Total Highest Possible Recommended

Says him with the blog.

best post on the board, n'ik.

The reason Ducktails have 10,000 youtube views is because one of the members is in the boring band REAL ESTATE.

Nah, as long as there are stuck up, elitist pretentious snobs to buy them... Haha... :) Just joking... Really, the only people who buy albums anywhere in the planet anymore are Sonic Youth fans... To the average caffeine-imbibing, subway-taking, drone/labourer; Youtube is the new Billboard, Rolling Stone and MTV rolled into one... If it's not on Youtube with at least 100,000 hits - it's not worth it...

I couldn't understand why people were wearing watches, because they seemed like hourglasses of death, keeping track of how much time was running out.

Maybe they liked to know what time it was?

That's not necessary. Time is an invention of man. Time isn't real.

Exactly why they wanna know... If time was invented by 'Man', it stands to reason that 'Man' would be the creature most interested in it; as opposed to; say, a gnu... And seeing as how 'Man' is an egoistical and self-serving creature by nature; it is only obvious that watches sell so well... And sometimes they're a fashion statement as well... :)

I imagine you're really popular at airline check-ins