"I think albums are dying."

[Genius Gone Insane]

Thoughts?

Joseph Duplantier (Gojira):
"We could release a song once in a while and that's it. It would be better for these days to do it this way. I think that's what bands will do in the future. I think albums are dying. I think bands are going to work for a week at the end of a tour, release a song and go back on tour"

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/gojira-new-video-footage-from-the-studio/#Lz2i0hTXgmotkmvv.99

 

[Korwent]

Even if I far prefer listening to full albums, I understand his point of view, as releasing songs one by one means having far many more news on social networks, which means more advertising.
As anyway few still buy albums, it might be a better way to get recognition, and gigs which might then pay back the effort with merch and everything we all know metalheads are fond of!

 

[CiG]

He's wrong, that's quite possibly one of the most moronic things I've heard this year, luckily we're barely a week in. But still.

People said vinyl would die but if anything it's stronger than ever. Gojira being as mainstream as they are, are probably just way out of touch with the underground and it's buying habits and it's musical traditions. Albums will never die.

Demo tapes aren't even a dead concept yet.

 

[Korwent]

Well maybe he meant releasing albums in one piece (with maybe one or two singles) would not continue and band would release every song before selling the album like a sort of compilation for people who want to have the physical object?
At least that's the way I understood it because as you say, there is still a market for albums even if it is far from being as big as it's been a few decades back.
The other thing to be considered is that one can dorecord "one off" songs if they have the budget to go in studio once in a while for only one song, which is easy if you have your own studio as they do, but for less important bands it's far more difficult.

 

[CiG]

I don't necessarily believe albums used to be more important than they are now. Back when the music industry was monopolised by major companies bands that didn't even like or fit into the single concept were forced to conform. Now with small labels and self-financed bands there's no pressure for singles. Radio is a slowly dying medium.

If anything singles are less important now than they were before, especially in Metal.

 

[CiG]

Bullshit.

 

[xFkx]

I still love listening to whole albums, but i can see the younger generation with youtube and ADD can not get the appeal of the album format

 

[CiG]

If we're talking about listeners overall, maybe. But within Metal and underground music in general? Fuck no.

 

[rapucore]

Bullshit.

Agreed.

 

[MartijnPaauwe]

Just talking about my own experience here. Me and my band decided to release our latest EP digitally in the first place, because we haven't done any shows yet we thought it wasn't worth the cost.

We aren't a huge band with a lot of fans, far from it. But... Everyone who has taken an interest in our music asked if they could buy a phyisical copy of our EP. To the point where the demand is so high that we decided to do it anyway, I was definitely surprised about the demand myself really.

So phyisical albums are dying? No I don't think so, music lovers love the real deal, myself included

 

[CiG]

Physical albums may be dying as a consumer product, but as an artefact of genuine music lovers it's as strong as ever.

Digital purchases compared with physical purchases in relation to a Lady Gaga album don't necessarily correlate to the same thing in relation to a Nunslaughter album.

 

[AntonioPetrole]

I can only speak from my own personal feelings and experience, but the way I've always listened to metal bands is full albums at a time on repeat 300 times. I understand the argument for singles in mainstream pop/hip-hop for instance because of the way they are consumed, but not metal. People who listen to this genre reaaaally listen to this genre. Also, recording an entire album at once vs 8 songs throughout the year is a no brainer when it comes to feasibility/productivity. Viva la albums

 

[Clockwork]

I have been getting into vinyl more and more lately because I like listening to albums as a whole and not skipping around/jumping between albums. When I write songs I like writing in the context of an album because it ends up being greater than the sum of it's parts (if done well).

 

[HCL]

One thing that's killing albums is releasing too many, too often, with too many songs.

 

[scorpio01169]

Unless or until they can find a way digital copies can't be uploaded to the Internet and uploaded to YouTube, it's going to be a problem.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Unless or until they can find a way digital copies can't be uploaded to the Internet and uploaded to YouTube, it's going to be a problem.

I don't see how this will ever be possible. Which may force musicians to find a new way to separate themselves, such as improving the live show.

 

[DarkGuitarLord]

Albums are probably dying and that is a shame. I prefer to listen to an entire album and experience the music as a whole. Physical media is also dying which will eliminate the liner notes, photos, stories, etc that the artists typically pack into the package. The whole idea stinks, but surely most bands will continue to record full albums.

 

[egan.]

The single is a really inefficient way for music to be recorded and marketed which is why many of the big names have killed off pre-release singles in order to sell whole records.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcel-hidalgo/whats-up-with-the-single-_b_6903090.html
If it isn't working well for big names with song writing teams it likely won't work for mid-level bands writing their own stuff. I think a more logical change would be a resurgence of EP's and rational length LP's (30-40) minutes. I don't know if this is realistic either but the bottom line is that the single is a really inefficient model unless everyone all of the sudden embraces the Patreon (subscription/donation) thing.

 

[CiG]

Only popular mainstream styles of music are at danger.

 

[JeffTD]

Will Putney's doing the new one, you can see him in that video.