The trend of downloading music has been heavily taken up by the masses who want to hear their favourite music instantaneously. Many fans gravitate online just to download or stream a song or track by their favourite artist of group. This gives rise to the prominence rise of the single as opposed to an album as a whole package. The experience of downloading music has garnered its place in modern times, but people still like to listen to music on vinyl. This has led to the re-emergence of vinyl over the past few years.
Whether you like listening to an album of maybe downloading a single track online, it is really down to your own choice to decide. Both albums and singles are still equally popular. As a vinyl collector, it is likely that you have records by your favourite artists. Vinyl aficionados are a very knowledgeable breed. They love to listen to both albums and singles in equal measure. The immediacy of downloads means that people who go down this route like to download single specific songs. If you own a piece of vinyl or even a cassette, it is likely that you will play it through in its entirety. That is providing that you like the music of course! A lot of people buy albums to listen to at home and download or create a playlist to listen to in the car. Some new vinyl albums have a download card inside them which allows you to have the best of both worlds.
Some artists and groups are actually known for producing albums as opposed to releasing singles. The concept album is a good example of this. Bands such as Pink Floyd who released the magnificent ‘The Dark Side of The Moon’ for instance. Although Pink Floyd did release a number of singles, they are widely known for their album work. Another example would be progressive rockers ‘Yes’ who released the epic ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’. A pretentious album both loathed and loved in equal measure. The album contains long and drawn out progressive rock tracks. As a fan of ‘Yes’ this happens to be my least favourite album of theirs. To many other ‘Yes’ fans it is regarded as a masterpiece. As with ‘Pink Floyd’, the group ‘Yes’ are primarily known as an albums band.
Groups that record and release catchy pop tunes tend to appeal more to the singles market. These songs are shorter in length and fare much better in the charts. They are usually around 3 minutes in length. Most current artists strive to release a consistent array of new material on a regular basis. This keeps them in the public eye and at the forefront of current music trends and the issues of the day. An artist or group cannot afford to stay quiet for a long period of time unless they are well known, otherwise they will be forgotten very quickly indeed. Sadly, however, a lot of recent releases are written and produced very poorly. Gone are the days of songs staying in the charts for a long period or remaining at number one for weeks on end. The modern songs of today now chart based on internet marketing and constant advertising. This is why many people are returning to vinyl to listen to better music produced in the years prior to the internet and downloads. The music and songwriting was of a vastly higher standard. Many record collectors and enthusiasts will echo my thoughts on this. People are going back to vinyl in vast numbers or discovering vinyl for the first time. Most vinyl collectors are buying classic releases such as David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ or albums by Led Zeppelin and The Beatles for instance.
On the internet you can listen to whatever you like. This suits some listeners, but not others. There is always something new popping up for us to check out. This is both an advantage and disadvantage depending on how you look at it. The convenience of streaming a digital file is so easy to do, but it has clearly not improved the output of modern music.
It’s great to be able to sit down and listen to a whole album. Whether you chose to download it or listen to it on vinyl. You can get a deeper appreciation of a particular artist by listening to a whole album in full in its entirety. You also get a better feel for the music by hearing multiple different tracks. Tracks tend to be longer on albums than on singles enabling the artists to express themselves more. This gives the album a real sense of atmosphere. This is lost very quickly when you play just a single track. You can clearly appreciate why people choose to invest in a vinyl album. The album forms part of your collection as it says a lot about the type of music you prefer to listen to.
As current technology advances and the music industry continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace, it’s up to the consumer decide whether to embrace it or not. I choose to listen to music albums on vinyl as they were originally intended to be heard. I want to own and cherish both the music and album covers that I have grown up with. Downloading music and playlists is an easy, but very boring pastime indeed, despite how well intended it is. The recent advances in technology have created a new experience, but simply not one I can enjoy. It has created a monster. The quality of music in the charts is dreadful. Give me a vinyl record any day of the week!
Planet Earth Records stock a wide range of vinyl records from the early days to the present from all genres of musical taste.