See that fancy little animated Kaiser Chiefs graphic over there in my sidebar? Well, this post is about that. But first I'm going to ramble on for a while.So...does anyone buy full albums anymore? For those of you who still do, do you buy even half as many albums per year as you used to?
If you answered something along the lines of "probably not" and "no," congratulations! You're fully aware of the current state of the music industry. I won't hang this giant "Welcome to the Digital Age" banner on your front porch.
Like many of you, I lamented the death of the album. As a kid, one of my greatest joys was buying a new record, getting it home, putting it on, studying the artwork and liner notes, and memorizing the lyrics. When everyone in my high school started switching to the cool new medium—cassette tapes—I refused to give up my albums until they became too hard to find at record stores. I finally had to cave in and buy those stupid tapes, with their too-easily-cracked cases and unwieldy, accordion-style liner notes with the 2-point font. Eventually, I got used to them. Then CDs came along. Again, I was a late adopter. Again, I got used to the new way in which music was being delivered to my ears because, well, it was still being delivered. I even grew to love CDs almost as much as albums. While a CD case didn't feel as good as an album, the liner notes were once again easy to read, there was no flipping over and the discs rarely skipped. And then...the mp3s came along.
I like to think of myself as pretty adaptable when it comes to technology. But I absolutely bristled at the idea of music FILES. I didn't want magical sounds coming from my computing machine...I wanted something tangible. If I played a song that I liked, I wanted to be able to look at a glossy piece of paper that would tell me the lyrics, who wrote it, if that was really an organ I heard way in the background, and if the guy playing the organ was the same guy who played the organ on a thousand other tracks on a thousand different albums. (Yeah, it was probably Benmont Tench.) When it came to mp3s, I DID NOT WANT.But of course, like everything else, I got used to mp3s. Then they became my world. I am a downloading fool these days, happy to give up the glory days of vinyl for the clarity, convenience and portability of mp3s. And of course, like everyone else, I see no reason to buy entire albums when it's easier and cheaper to just buy the songs I'm sure I like. Sure, I still buy full albums but that number is nowhere near the amount of vinyl albums and CDs I used to buy. Buying à la carte is just the way to go.
In this environment, how does an artist get fans to buy their full albums? Pearl Jam released a barrage of live "bootlegs." Radiohead started the whole "pay what you want" model. Plenty of artists have asked their fans to pick their singles or choose which tracks appear on their albums.
All of the above are good ideas, but I think the Kaiser Chiefs have come up with the most genius plan so far. With their latest album, The Future is Medieval, the band has decided to let their fans actually create their own customized versions of it—cover art and all. Through an app on the Kaiser Chiefs website, fans can listen to samples of 20 songs, pick their 10 favorites, choose the track order, create an album cover from supplied images and download their "self-produced" album. In an especially interesting twist, every fan-made album is housed in the Album H.Q. and available for sale to the public. Each album's creator will get back £1 for every one of their albums purchased! (PayPal will nicely do the currency conversion for you.) Oh, that reminds me...if you want to buy the new Kaiser Chiefs album, just buy the one I made. Not just to put money in my pocket, no! I want you to get the best ping for your pound! And I'm certain that my version boasts the best possible song selection and configuration. Or be nice and buy one of the celeb-made versions, which will benefit The Alzheimer's Society.I haven't seen the sales figures (the album creator just debuted last Friday), but I'd be willing to bet that Kaiser Chiefs sell a lot more full albums than they would have had they released this record in the usual way. Obviously, they're not U2 or Lady Gaga, so they may not shatter any sales records, but this kind of creative approach to the artist/fan relationship can only help the industry.
So far, everyone I've talked to about this thinks it's a brilliant marketing strategy and an innovative way to bring the album into the digital age. Well, almost everyone. One blogfriend (let's just call him Nerds Nerds Nerds) took the opposite view, calling it a horrible idea and declaring, "If the album wasn't dead as an art form before, it certainly is now." What do you think, readers? Can fans have too much power? Can that power have a negative effect on artistry? Is this an example of too much business, not enough music?
I'm not really sure I see a downside...although I can't decide if the Kaiser Chiefs are smart or evil to only allow fans to make a 10-track record, because it forces them to buy two if they want all 20 songs! I'm leaning towards "smart" though, because the odds are that not too many people are going to like all 20 songs. And isn't that the whole point of this exercise...to make the album YOU want?
For those who would rather just wait for the artist's vision, the band plans to release their version of the album at the end of this month, which will most likely include all 20 tracks.
Comments
After some thought, I still stick by my opinion. You actually worded it better than I did. Fans have too much power. Everyone is not an artist. Would we let people put a mustache on the Mona Lisa? Let people put arms back on the Venus de Milo? Let people change "Rocky" so he wins? I understand that a dumb rock album isn't the Mona Lisa. But art is art, and personalizing it ruins it.
The bigger trend is that technology ruins art. I first thought this when DVDs allowed for director's cuts. They're a bastardization of a movie. There shouldn't be different versions of a movie. The movie should be what it is. I can't tell you how much this angers me. It belittles expression and cheapens the idea of the professional artist. I get that with technology, now EVERYONE can be a DJ, painter, musician, filmmaker, etc. The problem is that most people suck at it, and the clutter devalues art that has value.
Okay, I'm done ranting now. I'll just say that in addition to all the egghead nonsense above, I just want something I can hold in my hand. I don't buy MP3s. You can have my physical CD when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
*drops microphone and walks offstage*
But I have to agree with Beckeye that The Kaiser Chiefs are being innovative, not blame-worthy, for trying something different. You can't fault them for trying to do something to boost sales when downloading is eating profits from bands like crazy.
Having said that, I am part of the problem. I only download whole albums, for the reason that I agree the album must be considered as a whole to be appreciated as a piece of art; however, I don't pay for music. Sorry, but it's true. I have the same opinion of music as a I do of sex: Why would I pay for something I can get for free?
I get a lot of music sent to me free because of my Music On The Couch
I still will buy music, but only full albums (whether it be CD or vinyl)
I want the whole concept by the artist and accept that most are not talented enough to write 12 great songs and there will be stinkers.
(and since my idea of which tracks are "better" is obviously not a universal one, it makes sense to me to be able to choose my tracks from the getgo. it's like getting to skip a step where i'd make a playlist on itunes with just the tracks i wanted anyway!)
So, here's a topic of conversation for you: best "complete" albums in which every song (or at least most of them) is a keeper. Greatest hits compilations don't count. Off the top of my head, I'm going to say Nirvana's Nevermind, Pearl Jam's 10, The Lemonheads "It's a Shame about Ray," The Decemberists' "Hazards of Love," The Pixies' "Trompe le Monde," and The Beatles' White Album.