The Death of the Album

Albums are, without a doubt, integral to the music industry. They’re what makes it tick, how artists express themselves. Albums become an important accompaniment to people’s lives, they often tell complex stories or at the very least express a significant amount of human emotion. However, it appears to me that there has been a significant decline in people listening to albums in full and continually.

When Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon, it was revolutionary. It represented a transition into the complexity of concept albums. Although most albums contained a theme of sorts – and still do – ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ as a concept could only really be listened to in its entirety. I know personally that I don’t usually add single tracks from that album onto any playlist. It stands perfectly by itself and I only ever listen to it in full. However, my playlist statement above stands as a testament to the idea that if the album were released today, it would not be as popular. Of course it would still work, I can’t imagine a world where that album doesn’t work. But there is no question that the tracks don’t work quite as well when they are listened to individually and this is where the problems start to appear in today’s music society. There is no question about whether people still listen to music, that would be a ridiculous argument. But, when people do listen to music it is usually through a playlist they have created or someone else has. This has become particularly popular as a result of streaming platforms like Spotify that allow you to curate your own playlists which can be listened to and appreciated by others. All of this is appealing and I have obviously spent time making my own playlists with specific themes, attempting to come up with a witty title in case they were ever viewed by someone else.

Paying a subscription for Spotify allows for endless listening, almost every piece of music can be found on there and people are more likely to take advantage of this than to spend money on albums. Admittedly I still like to buy a CD and like most people who think they know everything about music I have a record player as well. As a result I have been guilty of buying an album for one song, ‘Blue Oyster Cult – Agents of Fortune’ comes to mind. This clearly emphasises the argument as to why the popularity of Spotify is at an all-time high. Why buy an album for one song when you more easily listen to it on Spotify? The price of Spotify also doesn’t seem too outrageous, people listen to music all day, it follows them everywhere and so the expense seems acceptable. It is also important to note how expensive records are. There has been a growth of records, particularly from the ‘indie’ crowd, or people who believe that a record is the only way to truly appreciate good music. Whilst I would agree to some extent, there is something so pleasing about setting up a record player and listening to the crackle of the needle and the soft hum in the background, the price of records undermines this. Of course inflation must be taken into consideration but some of the records I have considered buying shocked me by their price. In a second hand record shop, they were asking fifty pounds for ‘The White Album’ that was so old it could be ‘The Yellow Album’. All of this makes Spotify even more appealing and accessible.

Similarly, the numerous devices that Spotify can be found on and the endless prospects of the internet have also added to this dying out of listening to albums. In cars people now connect their aux cord and simply continue the listening of their playlists, no longer do people struggle with driving whilst attempting to change albums, CDs on their laps. Similarly, there is less likely to be CD players or stereo systems in houses. Most people have Bluetooth speakers, which is of course are becoming more popular with the growth of technology and the possibilities that these devices give. The Alexa for example controlling your lights, your TV and your music. This again means people are less likely to accumulate CDs or records. It is perhaps also important to comment on the growth of minimalism. A concept which doesn’t put a price on commodities [like CDs], seeing them as wasteful, particularly when music can so easily be stored and listened to on one device. All of the appeal of Spotify [and other streaming services] is understandable and perfectly justified however, it does seem to have attributed to the death of albums or rather listening to albums.

There is no denying that you can still listen to albums on Spotify, of course you can, but most people prefer to listen to playlists they have curated that often reflect a mode they want to revel in. My dad for example has admitted to listening to ‘AC/DC – Hell’s Bells’ after a particularly taxing day. In my mind there is one band that sticks out to me in regard to the concept album in modern music. ‘Public Service Broadcasting’ have produced numerous concept albums – which I recommend – such as ‘The Race for Space’ and ‘Every Valley’. However, I am not sure how popular these albums have become. Perhaps this is my ignorance or lack of knowledge in the music industry but none of the albums seem to be as popular as previous concept albums like ‘Dark Side of the Moon’. This is most likely a result of the reasons that I have attempted to outline above. People are more inclined to listen to these albums once in their entirety – on Spotify – and then never really return to them as the individual tracks are less likely to be easily incorporated into a playlist.

It is clear that although music will always be extremely popular there has been a clear shift in the way that people listen to music. There is obviously less of a chance of people buying albums and choosing to listen to that in their home over listening to a playlist. Whilst of course change happens and it is a good thing, there is something disheartening about these facts. So, without trying to sound like the pretentious owner of an independent record shop, go off and listen to an album. It’ll feel good. Trust me!