Album vs Singles, CD vs Download

There seems to be a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) in the music industry of late. There's also a lot of experimentation. Some folks resist change as a form of self preservation. Some embrace it as an opportunity to grow. I try to follow all the signals flowing into my brain and the only thing I can figure so far is that no one really knows what they're doing.

We've seen a lot of firsts in the last year or so. A few big exclusive distribution deals. A major international band releasing an album themselves and letting consumers pay what they want. There are also some acts refusing to embrace the now and doing things the old-fashioned way. Here's an interesting article on the issue of single-track downloads, long the fear of many a album-producing recording artist and record company:

Single-Track Digital Downloads Death Knell To Artists?

More than half a decade after Apple’s iTunes online music store revolutionized digital music sales by introducing single-track downloads, artists and music labels are beginning to question whether or not the approach is smart business.

AC/DC and Kid Rock, two of the year's biggest rock acts, insist their albums only be sold whole, something Apple rarely permits. Furthermore, despite the fact that iTunes is the largest music retailer in the country, neither allows iTunes to sell its albums in the United States.

I love albums. I love being immersed in 10 or 12 songs for 40 or so minutes that represent some kind of cohesive statement from an artist. It just seems so much deeper to me. Then again, there are those rare little gems that just seem to stand on their own. Nevertheless, I spend my time as a consumer in the realm of albums, both CD and download. As a musician and recording artist, I need to think a bit differently.

They go one to talk about Lil Wayne and success with downloads...

It’s fair to ask whether AC/DC or Could Kid Rock could have accomplished these feats.

"They're leaving money on the table by not offering track sales," Carlson told Billboard.

"I don't think that creating an economy of scarcity works. There have been a couple of examples that have been successful ... people like to hope that part of the industry is still alive. But I personally think those two are anomalies."

I have to ask, why not do it all? Seriously, why is it such a big problem to put out an album and make singles available as well? There are so many different ways to do this creatively. You could hold back the availability of singles for a short period after an album's release. Or, you could release singles for a while before the whole album becomes available. Or you could just throw it all out there at once and give people the freedom to chose whatever they want. You could also release a traditional album and then make special singles available in between.

Some of this smacks of bunch of old codgers not wanting to embrace the digital age. It's like, dare I say, McCain and his inability to email! Hire some young whipper snappers fellas! Take a class at the senior center. Something! I'm not sure what Kid Rock's objection is. Should I care?

I guess the point is why not do a little of the old and a little of the new? CD sales aren't tanking nearly as fast as other media historically has. Not everyone is downloading. I'd like to have a fan base that crosses a variety of preferred mediums and I really don't see any reason to not satisfy them. As for a band like AC/DC refusing to offer downloads, well, I loves me some AC/DC but I'm not at a point in my life where I'm going to go out and buy their CD. However, sitting here at my desk, waxing nostalgic about tearing down the road in my '64 Ford Galaxie, no shirt on and Highway To Hell blaring from the rear deck makes me wish I could easily (and legally) download some new material from Angus and the boys. Sales left on the table? You bet.