Downloads mean fans ignore albums

Theage.com (au) ^ | 1/5/04 | Thor Christensen

[bc2]

As a musician I can see this is a two-way street. First, you have the artists and musicians, who create the album for you to hear in its entirety and also have to make sure there are a few singles in there that are, if not "radio friendly", friendly enough for casual listeners to hear and be interested enough to buy the CD. Or at least listen to it in it's entirety. Then, there's the consumers, who have been force-fed hundreds and hundreds of terrible, obnoxious, disgusting, pathetic excuses for "rock & roll" or "pop music" records for damn near 15 years, most of it masquerading as "alternative" as of late. It's disgusting and I don't blame consumers for being upset.

But someone hit the nail on the head a few posts back: for as many Brittney's and Korn's and Blink 182's etc, there are 10 indie bands, or bands on major labels, who don't get promotion or commercial radio airplay, but their songs and albums are far better than the trash on the radio. I usually only listen to college or independent radio stations.

Touring is still bread and butter and that's why if you like a band, you should go see them when they come to (or near) your town, and buy CD's and t-shirts from them at the shows.

[dmz]

It used to happen, in fact I think it must have been required. I haven't bought a newly-released album in ten years.

________

Your comment sort of begs the question, if you haven't bought one in ten years, how do you know one hasn't been released with 10 good songs? I think it probably depends on the type of music you listen to.

I still buy quite a few CDs, but maybe it's just my impeccable taste (joking, folks) that leads me to the best CD's available.

A list of recently released CDs worth buying

1. Traveler - Tim O'Brien
2. The Old Kit Bag - Richard Thompson
3. Dawgnation - David Grisman
4. Del and the Boys - Del McCoury
5. March 16-20 1992 - uncle tupelo (ok it isn't within the last 10 years, but it was re-released with bonus tracks last year - and it kicks a$$).

cheers all

[chris1]

Metallica keeps putting out garbage and wonder why their older fans are so teed off. I hate Lars, he is so sissy like and Hetfield is no better. He looks like a sobering drunk and lost all the fire. Chris to Lars: Shut up and put out better music!
St. Anger was terrible!

[Conservative4Ever]

I agree....with the technology we have today....no reason to have to slog through an album unless one wants too. People want to mix their own music. Have been doing it for years starting with cassettes..now I'm on to my MP3. Artists and especially record companies are going to have to wake up and smell the coffee.

Red

[Windsong]

"Get old classical, blues, big band, jazz, R&B, crooners like sinatra, Bach, Opera, funk, bluegrass, Bob Wills, etc"

One word.

Newsgroups.

Download any number of excellent (read: EASY) newsreaders (nomadnews.com, Powergrab - resumes broken downloads), or better yet, pay 10 bucks a month for an 3 month retention news service (easynews.com) and download mp3s to your heart's content. Even on 56K, I am downloading far, far more albums per day that I can even listen to. But I can sample all of the album before I shell out 20 to 30 bucks for a 2 disc set. Most of my favorite groups/genres: New-Age, Classical, Anime, Jazz, Ambient, Film Soundtracks, and even video game soundtracks (Metal Gear Solid 2, Resident Evil 0, . Couldnt believe the stuff available on Usenet that never even thought existed. Soundtracks to every PS2 and Gamecube game in existence. Stuff you would never find on Kazaa or Napster (or only partially and badly ripped at 92 kbps). Stuff that is not available here unless you want to pay 100 bucks to import it from Japan.

And whats more...Usenet is anonymous. Downloading won't bring the Record Nazis bustin through your door at 1am. I have bought many Jazz and New-Age stuff that I wouldn't have had a chance to listen to (ever hear of a new-age radio station?)

[Land of the Free 04]

I haven't heard Richard Thompson's last few CDs, but I can readily believe he's still putting out good ones.

[Cool_V]

I will always prefer to enjoy an album in its entirety and there are still bands that work to that end. Eels, Radiohead, REM, Sigur Ros and Wilco all understand the impact of whole works.

'Radiohead - OK Computer' is a great composition, one of my favorites from the last 10 years or so. Even if they are liberals they still make great music. Also 'The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots' is an excellent piece.

[chris1]

For all you headbangers - metal is making a big comeback, not the garbage like Korn or Nirvana, but non commercialized metal back to what it once was. I bought the Slayer DVD recently put out, and you know these guys have been successful because they give the fans what the fans want - Not what they want the fans to accept. And it has worked. I went to a concert for these guys a few months ago - it was packed to the rafters. Thousnads of Slayer fans, old and young. It was great!

[missyme]

Problem is the Music Industry is spend millions marketing Ex-Mousekateers i;: Brittney Spears, Justin Tomberlake, Christina Aguilera or we have the controversial Eniem or Antie M whatever the heck his name is so that if any newcomer has any talent they already have missed the bus since they keep trying to fool an audience over 20 that these jokers are MUSICIANS!

[IYAS9YAS]

"We have to be the ones who decide what happens to our music," says Lars Ulrich of Metallica. "We conceive entire albums, and I'm not gonna give it to you in any other form than the one I conceive. ... You can dissect it after that if you want, but at least you have to respect our choice."

Translation: "We want to produce one or two good songs, a lot of crap filler and retire at an early age after ripping the consumer out of 20 bucks for our cds. Or, if they want, they can get sound files (whole album only) for only ten bucks and they gotta provide their own cds, jewel cases and covers. They'll still get the crap, though."

[Conservative4Ever]

This is simplistic I know. but...The old days had the record company take a young talent and invest some R&D in their music and career. Now, the talent has to have a fan base to begin with for the record companies to even give them an audition. As Mr. C4E says..the half-life of a band is 18 months.

[Itzlzha]

"We have to be the ones who decide what happens to our music," says Lars Ulrich of Metallica.

Uh, Lars, it's the CONSUMER ultimately driving the market for your music. If it's good, then it will be bought. If it's bad, or not in a form that is desireable (e.g. singles), then you aren't going to be able to sell it.

Don't forget...Alcoholica (metallica's true nickname), when they were a struggling Thrash Metal band in SanFran used to tell the fans to bootleg the shows, and make copies of the songs and pass them around!

Songs, Lars...not "Albums"..since you DIDN'T HAVE A RECORDING CONTRACT then!

Now...it's all about THEIR CONTROL OF THE CASH FLOW! If the album is good, the fan's will eat it up...but the albums AREN'T GOOD...usually due to the MASSIVE EGOS of these "SUCK"-cessful artists, but also because the Record Companies are DESPERATELY trying to find THE formula that they can sell Bands with...not good music, or good hooks (Fountains of Wayne comes to mind as a GOOD act), or good albums...but GIMMICKS!

I'm a Pro musician, and I can tell you that with VERY few exceptions, a band makes it's $$$ selling seats, putting a$$es in seats, and the merchandise that is sold at a gig! Not from the recording contract, because first time acts get PENNIES on the dollar of sales, and all the up-front $$$ and recording costs, and publishing costs, and promo costs are DEDUCTED from their "profits" on sales BEFORE they ever see a penny from sales!

It's the equivalent of slavery today, and that's why these "Starving Artists" would sign these HORRENDOUS contracts (Goo-Goo Dolls, TLC)...this was their SHOT! They were so hungry they grabbed whatever crumbs the "Industry" sent their way!

I have NO SYMPATHY for the big recording/artist houses...they screwed the Black Blues players, MoTown artists, R&B acts...and then the dumb-a$$ Rock&Roll acts!

[TomHarkinIsNotFromIowa]

Have the Christian groups suffered from downloading?

[RussianConservative]

Megadeath is great band.

[dmz]

I think Wilco understood that until Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I still love the band, but that record strikes me as a self indulgent studio effort. 4 or 5 of the songs make the chaff worthwhile, though.

[JoeGar]

You know album sales are down when the album with the most sales in 2003 was by 50 Cent. (I'd never even heard of 50 Cent prior to the news report.)

[SamAdams76]

Dont buy any new music - period. Get old classical, blues, big band, jazz, R&B, crooners like sinatra, Bach, Opera, funk, bluegrass, Bob Wills, etc. Now if I can find a way to record stuff on my computer that plays on the internet radio stations, I'm set for life.

Good point. There is SO much good music from the past that you could spend several lifetimes exploring it all. The bulk of my CD purchases lately has been classical music off the Naxos label. The works of Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Mozart, etc., are stunning to listen to, even today. Very little "filler" on those works and they didn't need MTV to promote them. 400 years from now, we'll still be listening to Bach. Will people be listening to Britney Spears 400 years from now? You've got to be kidding. Ten years from now, most people won't know who she is just like most people today have no clue who New Kids On The Block were or Milli Vanilli. Pop music has become so disposable and forgettable that it's not worth the effort to keep up with it anymore. I have CDs I bought just a few years ago that are unlistenable. As a result, I am going to be much more discriminating about what to add to my collection.

If classical isn't your cup of tea, there are some great blues and jazz records available from the earlier part of this past century (1920-1960) that are just outstanding. Even the country music from those days was consistently good. They don't make country music like Hank Williams anymore!

[Charles Martel]

The term "album" comes from the days of 78rpm. You could buy records as one-disc "singles", or as a set bound in an album.

I love FR - it's the only place where this sort of interesting trivia surfaces! My grandparents had several such "albums" of 78 rpm platters - my mom has them now (but no 78 rpm turntable, sadly).