Are Full-Length Albums a Dying Art Form? [OPINION]
One artist has promised to only make one more full-length album before moving on to a different mode of production.
As a kid, I remember the first three albums that I owned. They were Britney Spears 'Baby One More Time", and the self-titled albums for Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. What was great about these albums if that I truly loved every single song on them. Now it seems like I can pick a handful of songs off of different albums and leave the rest. I guess this is where the "mixtape" was born.
Of course, those feelings are not the same for everyone, but in today's digital age you definitely don't need to purchase entire albums.
In fact, I'm not sure how many people still go all in for albums unless you're a big fan of the artist. And with streaming being thrown into the mix, you don't even have to purchase individual songs anymore. It would appear that streaming is the final nail in the coffin of full-albums.
At least that's according to Sheryl Crow.
The seasoned artist says that she will be releasing her final album in 2019. It's not the final music we will see in her career, but it is the final full-length album of her career. She's going out with a bang adding collaborations with Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, the vocals of Johnny Cash and more. If ever there were a way to go out, you would think this would be it. Although, we're not sure what comes after 2019 for Sheryl, we're willing to bet that she will put out individual releases available for purchase and stream.
This does raise questions about the future of full-length album. As said before, true fans will continue to gobble up albums like it's their job, but what about those of us in the music buffet line? Will we see a steady decline of long project purchases, or will it drop off unexpectedly sometime in the next few years?
Only time will tell.