History Of Albums/Interview

Breif history of albums:
LP's (Long Play) were introduced by Colombia in 1948 and could at first not record the bass in music. LP's/Records/Vinyls were hugely popular, and required a gramophone to play them, with music being recorded on both sides, listeners would need to flip them to listen to the second half of the album. Cassette tapes came in to common use in the late 70's and were used up to and partially through the 90's. The creation of these changed the music industry in that music could now be transported anywhere with the listener, giving them total control. The compact disc (CD) format replaced both the vinyl record and the cassette as the standard for the commercial mass-market distribution of physical musical albums. Thereafter, the invention of the iPod and its relevant technology made physical album sales drop by 54.6%.

Not many people buy physical albums anymore. Why not? In all honesty, I think people are too lazy. If you can buy it online without leaving the house then why not? The online age and especially the creation of iTunes, has revolutionized the act of buying music. From iTunes, you can buy individual songs, you don't need to buy the whole album like you used to, it has completely changed. Physical albums are dying out because of this technological advancement, forcing retailers such as HMV to close down because of it, they simply can't keep up.
 

Do you listen to an album in one go? Do you buy albums? I certainly do. If I'm going somewhere further away, I'll work my way through different albums, certainly. I think listening to an entire album is important, it's how the artist intended it to be heard. Effort has gone into structuring the tracklist, the artists have made it the way it is for a reason and ignoring this, I believe, is almost disrespecting the artist. How is one to understand the different themes or narrative of an album if you only listen to one song? For example, if  you were to listen to the 'Electra Heart' by Marina and the Diamonds, you wouldn't understand it  without having first listened to the rest of the album (also called Electra Heart). Also, listening to a whole album can allows you to reflect your mood and introduce you to new ideas and themes. Listening to the complete album, in my view, is essential. I do still buy albums, I think it's better to buy a complete album by the artist than individual songs, it shows you are interested in the artist, while giving them financial support. 

Are digipaks still relevant? If  digipaks are defined by their album art, then yes, I think they are. The image on the front of the album, for me at least, summarizes what the album is about in an image, while attempting to attract people into buying their album. For example, Panic! At The Disco's cover for 'Too Weird To Live Too Rare To Die' cover conveys the simultaneous bright and dark nature of Las Vegas experienced by front man Brendon Urie, giving the listener insight into what to expect from the music. Just like album art/digipaks are still relevant, so are front covers to books, they are used to the same effect.

Has Beyonce changed the course of album history, releasing an album made with videos? 
No, not at all. Fall Out Boy did it last year with their 'Save Rock And Roll'. It's been done.