Great Music Industry Editorial

Great editorial by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame on where the album is and can go in the future.
I found interesting and well thought out.


EDITORIAL: THE ALBUM IS ALIVE
April 04, 2009

Technology Doesn't Mean The End For Extended Work—Or Artistic Packaging
STEVEN WILSON

Reports that CD sales continue to decline—they fell 14% in 2008 compared with 2007—have once again inspired a pundit-led roll call of the music industry's dead and dying institutions: major labels, record stores, terrestrial radio and the CD itself, to name but a few. Recently added to the obituary page is the album itself, thanks to industry "experts." However, I'm happy to say that the reports of the album's death are greatly exaggerated.

The true album—with the capital "A"—is alive and well. I'm not talking about an album that offers a compilation of songs strung together without meaning or purpose (other than to sell a hit single). I'm talking about the Album. The true Album. A narrative series of songs that an artist has purposefully created to work together as a whole, from the sequencing to the artwork and packaging. It resonates. It takes you on a journey. You put it on, and it's evocative and satisfying. It becomes an essential part of you.

If you think I'm being nostalgic, imagine your favorite album right now, the one you would take to that deserted island if you could only choose one. You know where I'm coming from. And that's why the album is still relevant.

We're told that the main threat to the album is digital technology—the widespread availability of music via downloading; the increased popularity of iPods and other portable music players; and the diminished sound quality of MP3 and AAC files.

One of the ironies of the CD format is that albums have gotten longer, while attention spans have gotten shorter. We live in an age when information in available instantly from computers, cell phones and satellite TV. Music can be sourced from all over the Internet, from online radio stations to artist Web sites. When the computer becomes a listener's main source of listening to music, it's hard to focus for 40 minutes, let alone 70.

But the argument that technology killed the album is a diversion—the mere availability of downloadable music is irrelevant to the question of the format's viability. It's just as easy to download eight songs from the same record as it is to download eight tracks from different artists. An iPod can play songs in order as easily as it can mix them up. Indeed, the widespread availability of digital music from virtually unlimited sources only increases the access to albums and gives artists an entirely new forum in which to distribute them.

One of the great pleasures of the album is its artwork: the lyrics, liner notes, photos and packaging. Artwork can complement the music within, on some sets more elaborately than others—the spinning wheel on "Led Zeppelin III" comes to mind, as does the triple-gatefold "Yessongs." The immediacy and tactility of that experience vanishes when it's reduced to 5 inches square, encased in plastic and coupled with an eight-page booklet that's hard to read. No wonder artwork came to be considered disposable. And yet it can now be downloaded in high quality, in various sizes. The ability to present images and lyrics is no longer limited by physical packaging or label budgets, only an artist's imagination.

Technology isn't the enemy of the album. If anything, the opposite is true. Widespread broadband, cheaper hard drives and better compression formats allow listeners to access files that sound as good as CDs. The top two online stores—iTunes and Amazon—have found success selling high-quality files, proving that sound quality matters.

As CD sales continue to plunge and the jewel case CD itself prepares to join the cassette, the 8-track tape and the MiniDisc in the dustbin of history, artists and labels need to devise new ways to sell physical products. They've had considerable success selling good old LPs, which fans keep buying as CDs fade. Another bright spot is deluxe or limited-edition albums that include additional features like bonus tracks, video footage, surround-sound mixes and more elaborate packaging. This month many U2 fans bought a $96 limited edition of the album "No Line on the Horizon." Just this week Sony released a $200 reissue of Pearl Jam's "Ten" that caters to the album's diehard fans.

Such releases would have been inconceivable 10 years ago. And technology should facilitate, not hinder, their release. Give album lovers something aesthetically pleasing to buy—and trust me, they'll buy it. ••••

Steven Wilson is the founder and lead singer/songwriter of Porcupine Tree and a member of several other bands. He recently sold out a 4,000-copy run of the deluxe edition of his first solo album, "Insurgentes," which contains a coffee-table book of photography related to the album.

Cool.

By the way, Wilson's new album is excellent!

Eyesore wrote:

Cool.

By the way, Wilson's new album is excellent!

Yeah, anything he's involved in is usually just awesome.

This article reiterates something Eddie Trunk brought up in the last "That Metal Show" episode. Eddie basically discussed the trend over the last few years of music being a "Singles" dominated industry, much like it used to be in the 50's and a great deal of the 60's. I would like to think that it is a trend that will come full circle, but I guess time will only tell.

I guess it doesn't help when Itunes has a popularity curve for each every song. Things like that are enablers in a sense for those who won't take chances on other songs, because they don't see people buying them. My brother is one of those exact people. He is what I consider a trendy music listener, which is completely boring to me. He's not that much of a metal guy anymore, but even the rock music he listens to these days is pretty predictable. When music becomes predictable, then it is what I consider totally boring. I think the only thing that I was surprised to hear that he was into as of late were the Kings of Leon. I do my best to point out bands that he would see as obscure, but it's a daunting process. I was at a cookout at his place last week, and was so bored with the music selection. Was I shocked? No, because his wife is in the same boat. Trendy = good...NOT!

What is the answer to all of this? I don't know. I do like what Pearl Jam has done with their revamped version of "Ten", and the options it has given their dedicated fanbase. I would like to see more bands ofter up certain nuggets that wouldn't be available via ITunes or Amazon. I think offering up demo versions, live shows, DVD's, free concert tickets/reduced prices on tickets, etc would be a way for C.D's and the like to still be viable in a digital music age.

Quote :

I would like to see more bands ofter up certain nuggets that wouldn't be available via ITunes or Amazon.

Line Of Fire's label, Tribunal Records, has taken to adding bonus material ONLY to the CDs, and NOT offering it on iTunes or any other digital store.

If you buy the album on iTunes, you'll get (for example) the actual 10 songs that comprise the album...but if you buy the CD itself, you'll get anything from a few bonus tracks or demo versions to enhanced content, etc.

The new LOF, for example, will have 2 bonus tracks on the CD that will not be available at any digital outlet...that is until someone gets a CD, rips it, and sticks it on a blog...LOL!