Albums will not die out. The days of artists making albums for profit might (and probably already has). But worse case scenario, you'll be left with the artists/bands who make music for the sheer love of creating something new, and the two-bit, manufactured, corporate acts will just put out singles for the morons who don't have the attention span to sit down and listen to one artist for a whole 45 minutes.

But isn't the concept of an album a manufactured format in the end? Especially the CD, in the early 90s acts were seemed to be forced to fill a complete CD with songs, surely studio time was adjusted to this to minimize losses. These days you don't have to do that, you can release just 4 songs online or something. And it's a fact that outside of hardcore music lovers like us, the album format does not mean much to people anymore. The whole U2 debacle just accentuated this, nobody cared that U2 put 1 or 10 songs on their iTunes.

MattyJam said:

Albums will not die out. The days of artists making albums for profit might (and probably already has). But worse case scenario, you'll be left with the artists/bands who make music for the sheer love of creating something new, and the two-bit, manufactured, corporate acts will just put out singles for the morons who don't have the attention span to sit down and listen to one artist for a whole 45 minutes.

It cost money 2 create these projects. Folks want 2 see a return on their investments.

I hope CDs don't go away. It was bad enough losing tapes and record albums. Now, with everything being downloads to phones and iPods (they still use those, right?), it doesn't seem like music can be put phyisically in your hands. It seems like it has become a personable listening activity, and not necessarily in a good way. By that I mean that without a new device like a speaker that docks your phone or iPod, you can't play music aloud without it being heard in ear buds. No one listens to the radio anymore (and that's a whole other topic), but computers allow us to access music stations and to own songs we hear, we may have to download them. While I appreciate these seemingly advances in technology, I think to do away with the physical format like albums and CDs is terrible for the music industry.

I miss things like the smell of new vinyl records, the free surprises that came with some (like posters and colored records), gatefold albums, and the ability to read full credits, lyrics, and stories behind the work. I miss the pictures included not just on the outside of the album, but - if the artist/label went out of its way - also the pics included on the sleeves of the record (Frankie Goes to Hollywood comes to mind immediately about this). It added to the notion of concept albums - allowing the artists to extend the theme visually, as well as orally, across a particular release. To download one song at a time might be nice for listeners to pick and choose specific songs they want to own - but I don't feel like it gives artists a way to present the whole package that was intended. I am probably sounding old-fashioned and nostalgic about the ability to hold the music in my hands - and really what I am referring to is the format. I want the ability to hold the format of the music in my hand. Not the playing device. I hope that's what the intent of the OP is about - as I agree with MattyJam on this.

But there were no albums before around 1940. Everything before that were 78s, which could hold very little time. There will still be albums because most genres like blues, opera, polka, stoner rock, jazz, new age, etc. were never dependent on singles, Top 40 airplay, or huge sales. It's like some people buy CDs from Renaissance Faire type groups, which has little attention from the media, TV, and radio. Also for mainstream music, country has the highest ratio of folks actually buying the product instead of downloading.

uh, tapes are dead and gone

records are seen as a relic or a "cool" item, or stuff of DJs...

cds are doomed to become the new records, for people who need to have the physical thing in the hands, with the lyrics, etc

I say the future is deluxe/remastered cds and quality downloads for the hard-drive (mostly singles or one hit wonders)

can't see why anyone would want to buy an 18 bucks cd of the next overrated and / or pointless alt-rock band or rapper...

JoeTyler said:

uh, tapes are dead and gone

Cassettes are still around. My mom bought a couple last month from her Malaco catalog and they've recently had a Cassette Store Day here. There's also a company in Texas who manufactures 8 tracks.

MickyDolenz said:

JoeTyler said:

uh, tapes are dead and gone

Cassettes are still around. My mom bought a couple last month from her Malaco catalog and they've recently had a Cassette Store Day here. There's also a company in Texas who manufactures 8 tracks.

mmm I meant as a viable choice

can't hardly find (at all) tapes at music shops, and of course companies/artists stopped releasing their new music via tapes during the very early '00s...

[Edited 10/19/14 9:11am]

People forget that not everybody has a computer, so can't download. You also have to have credit cards to buy something online, and many people do not have credit, and there are people who do that don't trust online purchasing and buy everything from a store. This is one of the reasons kids and teens download for free as they do not usually have credit. There's also the audiophile crowd who spends $20,000 on a CD player or $800 for some speaker wire that are unlikely going to want a MP3. It can't only be the cost of a CD when people spend $80 on a video game disc or $200 for some Air Jordans.

MickyDolenz said:

People forget that not everybody has a computer, so can't download. You also have to have credit cards to buy something online, and many people do not have credit, and there are people who do that don't trust online purchasing and buy everything from a store. This is one of the reasons kids and teens download for free as they do not usually have credit. There's also the audiophile crowd who spends $20,000 on a CD player or $800 for some speaker wire that are unlikely going to want a MP3. It can't only be the cost of a CD when people spend $80 on a video game disc or $200 for some Air Jordans.

Buy what you want and steal the shit you don't won't to pay for. You have grown, old azz men, and women spending thousands of dollars on gaming computers!

good points MickyD'


There so many other things are competeing for people attention, disposable income and time; music has been pushed down the totem pole. In my humble opinioin, I don't think one can dismiss the comtempt some people feel towards the music industry. That contempt isn't towards the artist / musicians / singer per say but all the shit reccord labels have pulled over the years.

If arist and record companies want people to purchase their albums, allow people to listen to the album before they buy it. I never purchased an album that I didn't get a chance to listen to all of it. Back in the day Mom and Pop record stores allowed you to play before you paid. This listening to a minute and a couple seconds of a music... comes off as being snickey and manipulative. If your music is good, artist should have balls to allow their potential customers to listen to the whole damn ablum.

Some of these new,young artists should just stop making albums altogether.They should just release singles...put out a new single every few months,promote it,and move on to the next one.These artists are not "album artists" anyway,meaning their fans only care about the 'hits' they put out.

SoulAlive said:

Some of these new,young artists should just stop making albums altogether.They should just release singles...put out a new single every few months,promote it,and move on to the next one.These artists are not "album artists" anyway,meaning their fans only care about the 'hits' they put out.

That's a very good point.... nah many of them can't and don't have the talent to "carry" or create an album. Single or EP's.