Are Albums Out, and Playlists In?
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Conveniently, given that we’ve recently started publishing B**P’s own playlists, a study has found that most people are more likely to listen to a playlist than an album.
According to the Music Business Association, playlists account for 31% of listening time across all demographics, while albums lag behind at 22%.
So, why is this? Well, we can think of a few reasons:
- Playlists are free
- You can add any music, from any artist – there is no limit
- If you use websites such as YouTube to listen to your playlist, you can also watch the video alongside it.
- They’re easily accessible
It’s clear to see why many people are turning to playlists, with 2016 being the worst year for album sales since Billboard and Nielsen Music started tracking such data in 1991. Albums tend to be pretty pricey, and you don’t always like every song that the artist has produced. So, why not just take the ones you like and put them onto a playlist? It’s easy to see what’s happening.
However, the album isn’t all bad. Many artists, such as Adele, encourage listeners to actually buy their music, stopping it from being available on Spotify and so on. While it may be quick and easy to just pop one song onto a playlist, an album gives you the full story and sometimes that’s what really makes it. It’s also great to have something physical in front of you – it can make you appreciate all of the hard work and effort that has gone into creating the album.
So, while we do really appreciate an album every once in a while, it does seem that, in an age when multimedia is taking over, playlists are in and albums are out.
What do you think?