So, the big music news today: after decades of legal wrangling, Apple Computer and Apple Records have agreed to kiss and make up, or at least hold hands. The Beatles’ entire discography (with bonus documentaries and a recording of their first live U.S. concert) is at last available via iTunes. This also comes after an exhaustive 4-year digital remastering process.
For even casual Beatles fans, this is a boon. But what about the holdouts? And why are they being stubborn? There are a lot of heavyweights who are still unavailable via iTunes, including: AC/DC, Garth Brooks, Tool, and Kid Rock.
The top-cited rationale for iTunes abstinence is the “album issue.” Many artists strongly prefer to release songs as a set—an album, in the traditional, vinyl-derived sense of the term. Many argue that an album is greater than the sum of its parts, and the songs therein are to be sold strictly as a package, as would be the case on vinyl or CD.
Thing is, iTunes largely sells single tracks. Many see this as a disservice to the album format. I get it, but why all the hubbub? Folks talk about missing the “nice break” between sides 1 and 2 of an LP or cassette, for example, or large-format liner notes as contained with LPs, and want these parts of the music-loving experience preserved.
Slow down, old-schooler—let’s not overlook the fact that there was a time in recorded music when albums didn’t exist. 45 rpm vinyl singles (and 78′s before that) were the manner in which most folks consumed music, as it was really the only option. While digital music may be the wave of the future now, it carries undeniable echoes of the music market of a bygone era.
So, are the holdouts doing the right thing? Is the album format doomed? And if so, is that necessarily a bad thing? Music has always been married to technology, and its history is littered with technological casualties. Was anyone really sad to see the end of the Minidisk? The Wax Cylinder? Does anyone digitally add the “Ka-CHUNK” noise from 8-track tape decks to their digital releases out of some sense of puritan allegiance to a defunct format?
While artists are indeed entitled to put out whatever art they want by whatever medium they desire, at some point it may be wise to consider the wants of their purchasing audience. Seems to me the audience has spoken pretty clearly. The single is back…
…but is the album dead as a result? Or merely on life support?
Great music that deserves great mastering!