The Heyday of the Album
YML quotes the Financial Times story about Apple and the big record labels working together to bring back the days when we actually bought albums. Money quote: “It’s all about re-creating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork, while you listened to the music,” said one executive familiar with the plans.
Seriously? Maybe I missed this “heyday,” but I don’t recall ever buying an album, listening to it all while sitting around with friends admiring the artwork. The “heyday” was for the record companies, not for us the consumers. Want a song? Have to buy 10 or more just to get it. Today is our (the consumers’) heyday where we can pick and choose what songs we like without being forced to buy songs we didn’t want. If it was such a grand old time, why are these companies forced to assemble a deal in order to get people to buy an album? When will they learn that I really don’t care about album artwork? I buy music to listen to while I’m reading, driving, working, or just plain ol’ relaxing; not to sit around with my friends looking at album covers, pictures, or sleeves. There’s a word for that: concert. You go to a concert with your friends. A Video. You watch a video with your friends. But listening to music? It’s background noise; ambiance. You have friends over for a party – your music is playing in the background.
The world has moved on since those days. Most people wouldn’t want to go back to the barter and trade economy, and most people don’t want to go back to the Album, regardless of what format it arrives in.
So I’m predicting the failure of the this attempt at reviving the album. I imagine Apple is too, but this is good publicity for them. It says “look at us, Record Labels, we’re not killing the album, we’re trying to revive it.” It will work for a few people, and for the comparatively few people who do purchase albums due to this publicity, Apple will still make a buck in the process. Apple has nothing to lose, and even more to gain. But let’s remember back when the iTunes Music Store first made its debut. It was all about purchasing the single song. Your song. The song you wanted. And it still is.