Why Make An Album?

The last two "back page" articles in Electronic Musician magazine focused on the movie "Avatar," of all things. The former article dealt with musicians needing to make a well-crafted album, where song structure to mixing and song sequencing to mastering are carefully planned and executed for maximum effect. In other words, don't just toss off a recording - make it special, make it different, make it an event. The latter article dealt more with the technical side and synth programming for the movie, but it gave a glimpse into the attention to detail that went into the project. (It also mentioned that they used Pro Tools for everything, including the synth sounds - which says something about inspiration over mass amounts of tools, I suppose). In any case, the thought and planning that went into this ties into thoughts I've been having about albums for awhile now.

That is to say, why do we need to make albums? Music existed for eons before the standard long-playing record, 8-track, cassette, or compact disc came around. Before these modern inventions, you still had grand orchestral pieces, chamber music, folk songs, and all manner of forms (and that's just tackling the Western forms - what about ragas, gamelan music, or other pieces that exist outside the Western art music?). The music was sacred and secular, long and short, loud and quiet. There were accepted forms, but you could pick and choose among them.

Even in the 20th-century United States music business, albums only took precedence in the last third of the century. Before that, you had singles (and before that, mass-produced sheet music) to spread the hits. As technology expanded the sonic quality and quantity of the music you could place on a recording medium, albums rose to take prominence in the music business. Nature and record companies abhor a vacuum. Artistic conventions arose around the creation of an album, but there were also economic concerns:

• Do you release the double album or shrink it down to a single album?
• Do you release more than one album in a year?
• Do you have a single on the album to help sell the whole shebang?

CDs meant more music could reach the public at one time, but the above concerns still applied. And there was still concern about physical packaging and distribution with CDs, even as production costs came down.

Obviously, the production and distribution costs are much different for digital distribution, but it also changes the production cycle of music. There's no need for the production build-up to release to support cycle that the music business used for albums. Artists can maintain an always-on connection with their fans, or they can take their time and release on their schedule. They can use just about whatever means they want to create and distribute their music - the sky is the limit. Artists can make whatever they want to out of the music.

So why focus on musical artists making albums? The time, economic, and physical limitations that required the production of albums are gone. Home studios are cheaper and more plentiful, so recording budgets and time limits don't have to be as rigorous. Because the budgets can be lower and artists don't have to work with labels for distribution now, the initial investment doesn't have to be as large. And because there's no need to produce physical product for album releases, you can send out as much or as little music as you want at any time.

But this isn't to decry the album as a format, though - hell, the band I'm in is recording one for vinyl right now. It makes sense for that band - it's kind of a retro act with a lounge vibe, so the vinyl recording makes sense. But that's an artistic decision, not a mandatory requirement. Artists don't have to limit themselves to a format, long or short. Now that it's inexpensive and only as time-consuming as the artist wants it to be, it makes sense to think beyond the album. Let the creative process run beyond a format designed for technology of a few years ago (at the very least). Imagine new forms, put your heart into it, and see what happens. It's not just something like iTunes albums, with some additional material and the like. Re-imagine how the music should be presented, and think about everything that goes into it.

And yes, because it's relatively different territory, there are going to be challenges. And people are going to not like it - personally, I hated "Avatar" (possibly because I saw it in 2D, non-IMAX format and was forced to focus on the "plot"). But artists don't have to worry about selling to everybody anymore, either. Artists can reach their audiences more directly with a smaller investment now. You can exercise the same focus on a smaller project, reach exactly who you want to, and not worry about the larger scope.

The above points aren't anything new - I guess I'm just surprised that albums are still as predominant as they are. It's an artificial construct that can be quite fulfilling, and great albums are truly a wonderful thing. But they don't have to be the only thing, and there's so much more to be done.