Online Music and Albums (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Ected]

Has the introduction of online music affected your listening to complete albums?

I started listening to music in the early 80s, before CDs, when any music you bought was a record or a cassette (even an 8-track!). In general, you listened to music by putting the needle in the groove on the first track and let it go. Or you popped the cassette into the car stereo (if your car was cool and had a cassette player) and flipped it when it was done. Sure you could make a mix tape, (for you youngins, that was the predecessor of the playlist, when you took a blank cassette and copied music from a record or another tape, carefully making sure you got the song lengths to equal the minutes on the side of the tape or later,) but that was time consuming.

Now, with online music (Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, iTunes, etc.) I find myself listening to albums in their entirety less and less. You just pick a bunch of songs to pop into a playlist and boom! you have an afternoon of listening without a thought. And with things like iTunes, you dont even need to purchase an entire album. You can just get the hit or songs that you like from the album.

Do people still listen to albums?

 

[Ilov80s]

I still listen to albums. Through Spotify, I can listen to almost any album I want. I listen to more albums now as opposed to in the days if CDs/tapes where I listened to the same albums over and over because I couldn't afford many.

 

[rockaction]

Yes, in general, but it depends on the genre and the act, really. I think that the actual format and accessibility and cost had a lot to do with shaping our music listening. If you're impervious to this influence of easy access, more power to you. I have neither the patience nor the wherewithal to suffer through what might be a grower these days because of the instant access to everything else.

That said, I love singles and 7" for punk, which would be my favorite genre. I'm not alone in thinking that. There are a few people that think that the single format suits most bands within that genre and that four song EPs are the best long form format for it.

 

[kupcho1]

I still listen to albums. Through Spotify, I can listen to almost any album I want. I listen to more albums now as opposed to in the days if CDs/tapes where I listened to the same albums over and over because I couldn't afford many.

 

[Mr. Ected]

I still listen to albums. Through Spotify, I can listen to almost any album I want. I listen to more albums now as opposed to in the days if CDs/tapes where I listened to the same albums over and over because I couldn't afford many.

I understand that, and and it's a major reason of why I love Spotify. I'm also not saying there is a right or wrong way, I'm just curious as to how people are doing it. If you hear something new, or are re-turned on to something, do you pick the song and throw it in a playlist or two with a bunch of other songs, or do you listen to the whole album, or both?

RA, I get what you're sayng too, just didn't think of it, because it's not the type of music I'm in to.

 

[Ilov80s]

I still listen to albums. Through Spotify, I can listen to almost any album I want. I listen to more albums now as opposed to in the days if CDs/tapes where I listened to the same albums over and over because I couldn't afford many.

I understand that, and and it's a major reason of why I love Spotify. I'm also not saying there is a right or wrong way, I'm just curious as to how people are doing it. If you hear something new, or are re-turned on to something, do you pick the song and throw it in a playlist or two with a bunch of other songs, or do you listen to the whole album, or both?RA, I get what you're sayng too, just didn't think of it, because it's not the type of music I'm in to.

Both. There's a lot of old stuff that I liked from greatest hits or the radio that I can now explore further.

 

[Tick]

I don't really listen to albums - maybe two per year that I listen to a lot, the rest of what I listen to is just songs. There's so much out there that I'd rather skate around and listen to two songs from each artist I get interested in without slogging through the rest of the album. I also find that I'm looking for songs that stand out. A unique sound catches my attention... but typically, the band that made that unique sound always sounds that way... after about 2-4 songs, the sound gets old and I move on to another band.

I know this isn't 100% the best way to go... I think of albums where I like the unpopular songs that I would never check today, like the whole B side of Pyromania long ago, and albums where my favorite song changes multiple times over the years, like the first Naked and Famous album or the Awolnation album. I'm sure I'm missing out on similar experiences by doing this, but I'm also putting together a really fun summer mix for the family that becomes the soundtrack to our summer, and takes us back to the summer experiences when we listen to it in winter months, or even years later.

I guess that's where I like the song approach most - it's easier to make playlists and share them that way. I guess it seems to me that albums are more personal, and playlists are more social. If you send someone a Grouplove album, your hit rate is pretty limited... but if you send them a playlist with 2 Grouplove songs mixed in with 30 other fun songs, they'll probably end up listening to the Grouplove songs more than they would have on an album... if they like the songs, they can go find the album on Spotify and dig deeper.

 

[Tick]

Regarding the question of how I react to a song I like, I throw it on a list at first. Once I notice that I have three songs by one artist in iTunes, I dig deeper on Spotify, then buy the album through Amazon if I do like it (and add the album to iTunes). I only really use Spotify for discovery, not for listening to something I already know I like.

 

[ShamrockPride]

I don't buy albums ever. An album is only worth it to me if I enjoy EVERY song on it...so MAYBE a greatest hits of someone I like. Other than that it depends. Some nights I'll be in a mood to discover new music and just explore new stuff or listen track by track a CD of an artist I like who's entire album I haven't heard but may have a song here or there. Other nights I'll just listen to what I have in my library and enjoy what I know I enjoy. I use Rhapsody by the way.

 

[KarmaPolice]

For the most part I only listen to albums. The only exception is if I am following somebody's list on Spotify.

This applies to spotify and to my ipod (i will only download a full album).

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I listen to more singles than I used to because of Spotify. But I still listen to full albums there as well as the old cds I have.

Discussed the listening habits before here, but it is a shame that more non-hits don't get to most listeners. Its seems like the album is a dead concept for most people. I grew up in the 60s and 70s and starting in the mid-late 60s album were the listening experience (outside of am radio ...).

Listening to entire albums, you experience more about what the artist wanted you to experience. Remember those albums, the songs seem to blend into one another - and almost guaranteed - your favorites end up not being the ones played on the radio. The way things are these days, these songs would have been missed.