Today I'm listening on my phone and just bombing about between my fave album tracks. Never lingering. But usually I'm an album listener. The body of work as a whole is important as is the order and progression of feel. Sometimes when i just pick out the best track on the album it seems weaker somehow. Like listening to the tracks before and after provide an important context that adds to that one track.
Is album listening a thing of the past for the average listener?
What kind of music listener are you?
- CaliforniaBurrito
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Most definitely. It is a fact that attention spans have diminished over the years. The concept of an album has depreciated over time as well. Actually, I think the whole damn process of making music has depreciated, but that is another topic. People can easily skip through different artists in a playlist without much effort as they don't have the hassle of changing records or discs anymore. Why would people want to commit to anything if they don't have to. Better have some damn good reasons for making an album these days.
Kind of rare to find a whole album where i like every song.
I tend to make playlists of what i like.
I tend to make playlists of what i like.
Yes, this has always been important to me. My favourite albums are usually strong through-out with little to no filler.
I can manage the odd filler track but think two in a row is too much. I still have some albums where I'll quite happily listen to the first 5 to 6 tracks (the first side) but quit after that as the band has front loaded the beginning of the album and the 2nd half is mainly filler. Much better that way rather than spread the good stuff over the whole album and have big lumps of filler to get through before the next good track IMO.
So I am old enough to remember that "album listening" was the only way to listen to music when purchasing something you liked, and that is what has changed in the music industry.
But lets ask ourselves, when thinking back to the old days of buying albums, how many albums did we buy for a single song or two? I remember buying albums for ~$20 for one, maybe two songs. Sometimes I would buy the album for a song and end up liking all of most of the songs, but not all of the albums I bought were like that. I can even remember buying albums of bands I loved and finding out I didn't like 5 tracks on the album.
So lets fast-forward to the end of 2017 where we can buy music a-la carte... would you pay $20 for one or two songs that you liked but were forced to buy 8 more that you didn't like? Would you appreciate being able to buy a single music track for $1 when you had the ability to listen to the other tracks on the album and didn't like them? Today's albums typically have around 10 songs and sell for cheaper if you buy the whole album vs a-la carte.
We seemed to have traded off the risk of buying a whole album and maybe finding a hidden "gem", against buying exactly what we know we will like and paying only what we want. How music has been packaged and sold has been constantly changing since the ability to record music has been possible. Originally, people were forced to buy smaller EPs and such that held fewer tracks, but over time, these EPs eventually turned into LPs, with only special tracks showing up to EPs. When tape medium came out, we saw less and less of the EP type of options, and people generally got the LP album.
Personally, my music tastes have moved into a place where I listen to, and buy every single track I buy, and very rarely buy an album, unless it is a compilation. I listen to Techno, so find Beatport is a perfect venue for me to find new artists, preview individual tracks, and buy only what I want. I spend more money per year lately than I have in the last 10+ year when waiting to find good albums.
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- CaliforniaBurrito
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- CaliforniaBurrito
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Yeah but something to keep in mind is electronic music releases in this arena are usually EP's with a few tracks or compilations of tracks from artists signed to a particular label. These are both better alternatives to a full on album release IMO in regards to the artists as well as the listeners.
Though I've got free Spotify I tend to dip into radio 1 .and sum of the music channel s on my girlfriend s tv I consider you tube to be the best way of listening to music
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The whole internet experience/feel to it has changed IMO. The whole relationship from the listeners to the artists isn't the same either. We are not getting as much of attention as we used to. These are really shitty days for us indie-artists. Most people get their music needs from Youtube and Spotify. Of course, it doesn't mean that indie artists don't make good music, but I think lots of the listeners can't be arsed to check us out as much as lets say 6-10 years ago. I still like the idea behind albums, but I think I'm not having enough patience to make one myself in these days.
- CaliforniaBurrito
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Time for some good news. Vinyl. I suppose that comes after a 10k hour investment though.
I understand where you are coming from. Try buying anything other than 12 inch vinyl singles early electronic days.fotizimo wrote: ↑26 Dec 2017So I am old enough to remember that "album listening" was the only way to listen to music when purchasing something you liked, and that is what has changed in the music industry.
But lets ask ourselves, when thinking back to the old days of buying albums, how many albums did we buy for a single song or two? I remember buying albums for ~$20 for one, maybe two songs. Sometimes I would buy the album for a song and end up liking all of most of the songs, but not all of the albums I bought were like that. I can even remember buying albums of bands I loved and finding out I didn't like 5 tracks on the album.
So lets fast-forward to the end of 2017 where we can buy music a-la carte... would you pay $20 for one or two songs that you liked but were forced to buy 8 more that you didn't like? Would you appreciate being able to buy a single music track for $1 when you had the ability to listen to the other tracks on the album and didn't like them? Today's albums typically have around 10 songs and sell for cheaper if you buy the whole album vs a-la carte.
We seemed to have traded off the risk of buying a whole album and maybe finding a hidden "gem", against buying exactly what we know we will like and paying only what we want. How music has been packaged and sold has been constantly changing since the ability to record music has been possible. Originally, people were forced to buy smaller EPs and such that held fewer tracks, but over time, these EPs eventually turned into LPs, with only special tracks showing up to EPs. When tape medium came out, we saw less and less of the EP type of options, and people generally got the LP album.
Personally, my music tastes have moved into a place where I listen to, and buy every single track I buy, and very rarely buy an album, unless it is a compilation. I listen to Techno, so find Beatport is a perfect venue for me to find new artists, preview individual tracks, and buy only what I want. I spend more money per year lately than I have in the last 10+ year when waiting to find good albums.
I am mainly talking pop/rock/alternative/band based electronics above.
The albums i listen to electronic wise are of the old school or modern witha bit of rock x-over.
Was gonna list and expand but im pissed and feeling rather small having listened to some comp entries.
Someone like Biosphere for me can make a whole album that is great to listen to, but like you say i prefer the 2nd half of cirque or certain songs in substrata.Zac wrote: ↑26 Dec 2017
Yes, this has always been important to me. My favourite albums are usually strong through-out with little to no filler.
I can manage the odd filler track but think two in a row is too much. I still have some albums where I'll quite happily listen to the first 5 to 6 tracks (the first side) but quit after that as the band has front loaded the beginning of the album and the 2nd half is mainly filler. Much better that way rather than spread the good stuff over the whole album and have big lumps of filler to get through before the next good track IMO.
Even noisia i like to start the album outer limits at certain points depending on my mood at the time.. i think that is key, albums are usually an emotional banquet - i prefer to make a salad with the tunes for the course i want in the moment
Ok im going to turn this over in another topic....
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