Single song downloads..

[markyyy]

Alright, this is for a school paper, and I'd love some opinions. I'm also asking out of true interest. I started thinking about this after seeing a little argument on TV.

Are single song downloads replacing albums? Are they taking away the art that came with an album? Tracks on the album, track order, album art, etc. Even more extreme, for the people who read the "special thanks" sections at the end of the booklets, are those going, too?

(Personally, I say yes. Like I said, I just want other opinions.)

If you vote in the poll, I'd really appreciate if you gave an opinion on it or something, and vice versa! This is partly because my poll isn't too great, so an explanation would be lovely! :biggrin1:

[JonG]

I voted neither for two reasons. One, artists have always released singles (I realize this is not the same as the customer picking and choosing individual songs). In fact, I'd say the long player is a fairly recent invention because the technology wasn't there. And lets face it, some artists aren't very good at albums. They make strong songs, but can't seem to pull off an entire cohesive album.

My second reason is the music industry is changing mightily. Downloading individual tracks is just a small part of it. The music business is having a really hard time adjusting. I think all physical formats will go away. It might be all digital downloads in the future. This will likely alter how artists release material. I think that might be what you mean by this poll.

So I had a hard time picking an answer and went with "neither" because I think the issue is more complex that this poll allows.

[markyyy]

Thanks for the response! Right off the bat, I agree that a poll really does restrict the possible way you can answer, especially with the phrasing. I admit that my question wasn't perfectly phrased, either. Maybe I mean more that single song downloads, and similar methods of obtaining music, are taking away the relevance of full albums?

Either way, I just see a lack of relevance (which I think is what I'm really trying to say personally) coming on with all of this. It just isn't the same, downloading a song compared to owning the disc. So much really does make a difference, and a strong album can say a lot about a band (although, as you said, not everyone can pull together a strong album). Classic albums in whatever genre tend to stand so strong because of so many different factors. Slayer's Reign in Blood, for example (though not everybody's favorite), is strengthened because of those very aspects. Starting with Angel of Death and ending with Raining Blood, while having very short songs in between. This results in not even thirty minutes of music, yet one of the most well recognized albums in the trash metal subgenre.

These new forms of obtaining music, to me, take that away. Even if the whole album is available online, I just personally wouldn't get the same kick out of it. Being able to turn the pages of that booklet, and see the art of the CD. Then being able to listen to the songs in the order they came in for the first time, while reading anything in the book (whether it be lyrics, or just tidbits of information left by the artist).

There's always going to be change in how music is distributed. I understand that. But all digital downloads... it has its pros and cons, and I'm sitting more on the cons really. The idea just doesn't float well, because I think one of the most important parts of an album is the physical aspect to it. Get what I mean?

[Tiggi]

I voted "Yes, They Already have"

I understand Jon's point about singles always having been released, and that albums are a more recent development. But, for almost all of my music-consuming life, it's been albums that I'm interested in. I only really think in terms of albums, to the point that I only ever listen to music in albumular units (yes, I know that doesn't exist !!) that play from start to finish, and the music that's loaded onto my i-Pod is albums with all tracks "joined" to preserve the merging of tracks that I'm familiar with. The album as a coherent work is important to me, although I acknowledge that many albums are just collections of songs. I guess the industry isn't particularly interested in my preferences, which means there is a threat to my listening habits.

Reflecting on what I've voted, I think I should have opted for a less extreme choice, as I have no problems in buying music in CD format at the mo, but I am concerned. I buy most of my music via Amazon, and downloads don't seem to be squeezing out CDs as yet, but some of the other major players appear to be dropping the CD option increasingly. I've seen this sort of thing before when my beloved vinyl slowly disappeared from the High Street. I know that even now, some 15 years later, vinyl is still pretty widely available, but it costs...

I also know that I could still download and burn a disc of pretty much any album, but I don't want to. I want the info that comes with the disc, and I don't want to have to print a facsimile of the CD cover, or have a disc with hand-written or typed track listings.

I can't see into the future regarding where this will all go, but I can see the album as I know & understand it disappearing, in favour of just songs.

Another point for me to consider is that if the CD album disappears, I'll need to shell out a not insignificant sum for decent kit to play downloaded sounds.

[JonG]

I do appreciate a good album. But to be honest I'm not hung up on "owning" an album. It is just a copy of the music. I'd rather be able to listen to as much as a I can because there is so much good music out there. This is more feasible with digital downloads.

I think part of this may come from my music interests. I listen to a great deal of electronic music. It is mostly single and EP based. There aren't a lot of albums. And even with they are albums sometimes those albums are just collections of singles. Hearing a mix, where common aspects of many different songs from many different artists are woven together, is more exciting to me.

All media - newspapers, music, magazines, books, movies, etc are radically changing because of technology. It'll take some getting used to. Things are just beginning to change. I think it'll be many years before CDs and/or albums disappear.

[markyyy]

Thanks for both of your responses! Sorry for this being a little late.

IN response to your post, Tiggi, I think it's only necessary that I say that I was putting CD's in the same breath as albums. At 15, I didn't get to experience vinyls or any of the sort. It's mostly been CDs for me. I think they're about the same, though, in that they're becoming more obsolete. My friends no longer talk about going and buying that new CD. They'll talk about downloading it from wherever they get their music. They mention that they're releasing a new album sometime this year, but won't say they plan on actually purchasing it. And it's a shame. Like I said, I think the physical aspect is important to an album (whether it be in a CD format or otherwise).

In reponse to your post, JonG, I guess you bring up the thought that the idea of an album is less important in certain genres. With rock and metal (particularly the older metal -- I don't listen to enough modern music to say this with certainty), albums tended to be theme based. Or they at least had a similar sound. Take many of Iron Maiden's albums as an example. The songs had a similar overall sound to them, and the variations tended to be in what was played, or what the lyrics were. Vocals are key in that aspect, too. Vocalists go through changes, so if it was just a mix of different songs made at different times in a singer's life, it would sound off.

The thought also came to me that the preferred style of music according to the public may influence it. Right now, the preferred genres appear to be rap and hip hop. While the latter may involve singing, rap generally does not. Perhaps something along these lines may be changing the means by which people want their music? It's not as though rappers go through the hassle of making sure things sound the same across the CD (as has to be done with guitars. Pedals, amp settings, etc). It's a lot simpler to release one or two songs to the public through a different form of media. Just a thought :biggrin:!

Also, still in response to JonG, you make a good point in saying that all forms of media are changing. Considering journalism as a possible career, I'm stunned at how many big newspapers and companies are closing down due to a rapid change in the public's means of access to the news. It's frightening when I think about it in the sense that I want to do something like that in terms of a career, but it's also eye-opening. So many new means of access to what's going on can arise from this. :biggrin1:

[Conrad]

"Yes they already have"

But tbh, that's me being a hypocrit, i have a lot of music, i certainly wouldn't have it all if i bought the albums, i do feel bad for the artists.