I always thought I was crazy for thinking this but I’m so glad I’m not alone. IMO there’s beauty to be held in both the album and the playlist but as a culture we are severely undermining the power and craft of the compilation work from the artist that goes into an album. I’m not saying stop playlists fuck them never use a playlist. But I think more appreciation needs to go into seeing an album as a whole being. An album or ep is something the artist made and there’s reasons the artist put shit together the way they did. Seeing albums as a mere file of songs from a particular year/era takes away from the art of the work an artists puts out and has the potential to drastically change the industry & force/encourage artist is to stick to one song for the sake of a consistent “vibe.” Like no I want to see a journey the artist sets out in their album, weather it’s like something vaguely there or very deliberately there in an album like American Idiot. I don’t think one of listening to a compilation of songs is the right way but listening to an an album all the way through is SEVERLY under-appreciated. An album is like an original photograph and a play list is like a collage. Both are forms of artistic expression but they are very different. Overall I think there needs to be more emphasis on the fact that the compilation and arrangement of songs is a dimension of the artists work. Undeniably some care about it more then others, but the same thing can be said about the use of vocals, the use of different instruments etc. Albums simply need to be seen as the medium it is and a way to appreciate artists in a deeper way :)
Just like how you think your opinion might be coming form your days as an Apple Music user, I feel like me being too much of a lazy perfectionists overwhelmed by crafting a playlist shaped my views. Also the way I used to LOVE the ballot songs from edgier bands as a kid & as I got older seeing their place in the journey of an album really shaped this view. I like the variety and flow of varying vibes an artist has to power to put in an album!!! Like hell yeah pop off love to see it out there haha
Thx so much for this response! So glad this stirred these thoughts/ideas for you! If you're interested in this topic, I highly suggest you read the article "The Problem with Muzak" by Liz Pelly! I'm retreading a lot of her amazing points and kind of fitting them into my own experience
This is such an interesting perspective that I've never thought about before. Looking back on recent years, I've made a gradual transition and now listen to music almost exclusively in various playlists. Recently I've found myself unsatisfied with all of my playlists and am constantly searching for new songs that "match the vibe," so the point you make about listening to the same album over and over struck a chord with me.
I agree that part of the appeal is how customizable they are, it makes me wonder if the general preference for playlists is a result of our (at least in the US) more individual focused culture. Maybe it has something to do with our shortening attention spans too.
I (Apple Music fan) was just telling my friend the other day (Spotify fan) about how the two services are a dichotomy of sorts. The former focuses on marinating in specific artists work, and their albums. The latter is more about keeping up with trends and finding new stuff to listen to, while never really getting the full grasp of any particular artist. This article really explores something so important in the ever-changing music scene! Thanks for the read!
this is such an interesting thought! as someone who makes playlists, and therefore has benefited from the rise of the algorithmic playlist but never listens to the ones made by spotify, I feel sort of torn about about the album being the foremost expression of art. while I of course understand the point that artists make records to be consumed as whole works rather than in pieces, I also think that personal curation is more true to the way that I function in a world that has greatly shortened my attention span. I often find music through the algorithm, or on the recommendation of a friend or an artist I like, which is a sort of algorithm in itself. I'd love to know your thoughts on personally curated playlists, as opposed to those made by streaming services.
Hey! This is so interesting, thanks for sharing this! I agree that albums are not suited for our current world, but I'm critical of a world that shortens our attentions and makes it so we have to optimize music (make it a vibey playlist) to enjoy it. So I guess my main critique is with the attention economy and big tech firms more than all of us who enjoy playlists! I think curated, personal playlists are great though, as mood based ones can be as well! I guess I just want people to have their preferred mode of listening AND try to listen to albums (or in the form that artists prefer). Sorry for the ramble lol
considering the change in how music is often enjoyed now, do you think artists themselves are beginning to put less thought into the structure of their album? and do you think artists are now opting to make music for specific vibes instead of trying to make an album into a complete and satisfying work, or is that a role exclusively for spotify's curation and algorithms?
for example, how would singles play into this- are they more common now due to streaming and playlists? or are there any recent albums that you've come across that seem like the intention was to be on a vibes playlist, or to go viral, or just seemed that an album structure was ignored entirely?
hey! thx for this!!!! I think they def are, especially major pop acts (please see GAYLE's mood remixes of "abcdefu"). Singles have been around for decades, but the fundamental economics of music is different now in that it used to be "get people hooked on a single so they must buy the album." Everything was leading up to that purchase. Now with streaming, an album stream is the same as a playlist stream so anyway you get them is $$$. My article a month or so back "no more superstars" gets into this more if you're interested!
I always thought I was crazy for thinking this but I’m so glad I’m not alone. IMO there’s beauty to be held in both the album and the playlist but as a culture we are severely undermining the power and craft of the compilation work from the artist that goes into an album. I’m not saying stop playlists fuck them never use a playlist. But I think more appreciation needs to go into seeing an album as a whole being. An album or ep is something the artist made and there’s reasons the artist put shit together the way they did. Seeing albums as a mere file of songs from a particular year/era takes away from the art of the work an artists puts out and has the potential to drastically change the industry & force/encourage artist is to stick to one song for the sake of a consistent “vibe.” Like no I want to see a journey the artist sets out in their album, weather it’s like something vaguely there or very deliberately there in an album like American Idiot. I don’t think one of listening to a compilation of songs is the right way but listening to an an album all the way through is SEVERLY under-appreciated. An album is like an original photograph and a play list is like a collage. Both are forms of artistic expression but they are very different. Overall I think there needs to be more emphasis on the fact that the compilation and arrangement of songs is a dimension of the artists work. Undeniably some care about it more then others, but the same thing can be said about the use of vocals, the use of different instruments etc. Albums simply need to be seen as the medium it is and a way to appreciate artists in a deeper way :)
Just like how you think your opinion might be coming form your days as an Apple Music user, I feel like me being too much of a lazy perfectionists overwhelmed by crafting a playlist shaped my views. Also the way I used to LOVE the ballot songs from edgier bands as a kid & as I got older seeing their place in the journey of an album really shaped this view. I like the variety and flow of varying vibes an artist has to power to put in an album!!! Like hell yeah pop off love to see it out there haha
Thx so much for this response! So glad this stirred these thoughts/ideas for you! If you're interested in this topic, I highly suggest you read the article "The Problem with Muzak" by Liz Pelly! I'm retreading a lot of her amazing points and kind of fitting them into my own experience
This is such an interesting perspective that I've never thought about before. Looking back on recent years, I've made a gradual transition and now listen to music almost exclusively in various playlists. Recently I've found myself unsatisfied with all of my playlists and am constantly searching for new songs that "match the vibe," so the point you make about listening to the same album over and over struck a chord with me.
I agree that part of the appeal is how customizable they are, it makes me wonder if the general preference for playlists is a result of our (at least in the US) more individual focused culture. Maybe it has something to do with our shortening attention spans too.
I (Apple Music fan) was just telling my friend the other day (Spotify fan) about how the two services are a dichotomy of sorts. The former focuses on marinating in specific artists work, and their albums. The latter is more about keeping up with trends and finding new stuff to listen to, while never really getting the full grasp of any particular artist. This article really explores something so important in the ever-changing music scene! Thanks for the read!
this is such an interesting thought! as someone who makes playlists, and therefore has benefited from the rise of the algorithmic playlist but never listens to the ones made by spotify, I feel sort of torn about about the album being the foremost expression of art. while I of course understand the point that artists make records to be consumed as whole works rather than in pieces, I also think that personal curation is more true to the way that I function in a world that has greatly shortened my attention span. I often find music through the algorithm, or on the recommendation of a friend or an artist I like, which is a sort of algorithm in itself. I'd love to know your thoughts on personally curated playlists, as opposed to those made by streaming services.
also ur substack is great! we're doing similar/different things, would love to connect some time :)
yeah for sure let's talk! loved your thoughts on this.
Hey! This is so interesting, thanks for sharing this! I agree that albums are not suited for our current world, but I'm critical of a world that shortens our attentions and makes it so we have to optimize music (make it a vibey playlist) to enjoy it. So I guess my main critique is with the attention economy and big tech firms more than all of us who enjoy playlists! I think curated, personal playlists are great though, as mood based ones can be as well! I guess I just want people to have their preferred mode of listening AND try to listen to albums (or in the form that artists prefer). Sorry for the ramble lol
super interesting thoughts and topic!
considering the change in how music is often enjoyed now, do you think artists themselves are beginning to put less thought into the structure of their album? and do you think artists are now opting to make music for specific vibes instead of trying to make an album into a complete and satisfying work, or is that a role exclusively for spotify's curation and algorithms?
for example, how would singles play into this- are they more common now due to streaming and playlists? or are there any recent albums that you've come across that seem like the intention was to be on a vibes playlist, or to go viral, or just seemed that an album structure was ignored entirely?
interested on your thoughts on this. :)
hey! thx for this!!!! I think they def are, especially major pop acts (please see GAYLE's mood remixes of "abcdefu"). Singles have been around for decades, but the fundamental economics of music is different now in that it used to be "get people hooked on a single so they must buy the album." Everything was leading up to that purchase. Now with streaming, an album stream is the same as a playlist stream so anyway you get them is $$$. My article a month or so back "no more superstars" gets into this more if you're interested!