Is the age of the album over for good?

Question

I've noticed that the emphasis has moved from albums to singles in the last decade. My teenage generation has been brought up on single after single, a new hit every week, with almost no mention given to albums. Artists don't seem to really care about their album as much as they do about promoting their lead single (When was the last time you saw a Dark Side Of The Moon style cover?) and music video. We have definitely gone for quantity over quality it would appear. Rihanna releases an album practically every year, that implies that they are being rushed through without the proper time and effort going in.
In contrast, when my dad talks about music from his teenage years, he talks about ALBUMS: Bat Out Of Hell, Dark Side Of The Moon, Led Zeppelin IV, Machine Head, Rumours etc etc. There was no risk of early leakage online, the fans had to wait for when the artist was ready, and the artist wanted to prove it was worth the wait - a win/win situation.
In my opinion the decline of the album runs parallel with the advent of the internet: now people wants things immediately, there is no patience for waiting for an album. The last generation defining album was Nevermind in 1991 - about the time the internet took off.

Do you agree?
Do you still listen to entire albums that are released today, or do you just click on the single in the iTunes chart?
Is the age of the album over for good?

Answer 1

While you definitely are correct that the prominence of famous and masterful albums have declined in the pop-music world, there are still some, Kanye West's My Dark Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has been regarded in the indie- and internet world as one of the best hip-hop albums ever made, as well as Arcade Fire's Suburbs which actually won the Grammy Award for album of the year as an Indie Rock band, and personally I think both are just as much a concept album as Dark Side of the Moon was and later down the road will in fact be defining albums of this generation.



The only difference nowadays is that most of the MUSICIANS, that are more likely to create a concept album like Dark Side of the Moon are not interested in the genres that the mainstream music industry is making bank promoting, advertising and selling. The Internet took off, and it has allowed self-produced music to flourish to incredible heights. You no longer need a huge record label to make an album or sell them for that matter.



Mainstream music tastes can change all they want, and in fact it is a constant that they will, but if you personally want to find albums that transcend and define an era, your going to have to use the tool that defines it. Your going to have to scour this great digital landscape we call the Internet, and discover for yourself the next great album.

Answer 2

The Album was never really a mainstream idea in the first place. While it is true that most critics look at albums to judge a bands worth mostly singles are what pop has been about forever. In my humble opinion unless you have a concept there is no need for albums anymore. With the rise of the internet it is just as simple to release a song whenever you write it than it is to store up songs for an album and have filler. That being said there are still plenty of great albums being made today and I doubt that the album as a whole will go away.

Answer 3

No its not completely over but its to a point where music has to change because the times are changing. when I-tunes was created that put a big dent into albums and bands and artists started to move more towards a computer and technology based musical platform. also I dont think you can compare your dads generation to yours because they are completely different because your dad is so much older than you. but there are bands and artists that refuse to go with the new technology and those are the ones that will release entire works instead of singles. I personally hate using I-tunes because I dont listen to music as much as I perform it but that does not mean I dont use I-tunes for music that I want to play. you bring up very good points and people are going to argue this till the end of time but whatever rocks your boat is what you should do. music is individual as you are and however you like to listen to it is the way you listen and no one else can tell you otherwise.

Answer 4

Honestly? Pretty much yes, at least for now... That is mainly due to mp3's and iPods, and random shuffle.



I used to play albums straight through all the time, back when they were on vinyl. But I always like the random unpredictability of shuffle play, and seldom play them straight through now... But when the mood is right I still do.



However, I'm not into "singles" much. I still get albums. But I shuffle the tracks with the rest of my collection.



Some will always stick with albums, just like some will always stick to vinyl. But like vinyl enthusiasts, they are in the minority now.