I feel vindicated

[Kevin Bresnahan]

22 minutes ago, JSngry said:

"Ghosts" is a composition I know. "Enter Evening" is a composition I know. "Birds Of Fire" is a composition I know. Etc.

"Compositions I know" does not equate to "pop songs" (standards or otherwise).

I still say, if you play better (meaning...all kinds of things) than what came before you, it'll be good. If you don't, there'll just be more articles about hey we got more records than ever and nobody's paying attention, what's wrong?

The elephant in the room is that most people aren't playing better, they're playing the same. And in this case, audience indifference is the canary in the coalmine. so between elephants and canaries, what is that, a flying elephant?

 

[Clunky]

 

This recent album of standards is excellent. I do find it interesting to hear contemporary musicians take on these chestnuts. Like many here i am familiar with the participants on original material. It was cool to hear this but certainly not essential in my view. I think original material should sit alongside standards only  if it makes artistic sense. I dont need it to act as a compass or code to understand the originals

 

[Daniel A]

14 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

Odd,that you’d think that. Streaming an entire album is far easier. Creating customized playlists on streaming platforms is almost as big a pain in the ass as dojng the same using physical media. 

Not to derail the thread, but in my experience putting together a mixtape (on compact cassette) or ripping/burning a CDR is immensely more time consuming than creating a Spotify playlist (which I find to be quite easy).

But my point was more along the "generational thing" touched in your following post. We have to consider the presumed shorter attention span of youths etc. (And not only youths for that matter...) And I also agree with Guy's observation that many people seem to favour ready-made playlists. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Daniel A

[Scott Dolan]

I’ve never used Spotify and have no idea how to make a playlist on Apple Music, so maybe it’s just me and my ignorance at work. So I’ll concede the point. 

I’ll listen to a playlist every now and then, it’s mostly full albums for this boy.  

[JSngry]

When I want to listen to they type of music I'm in the mood for but don't want the responsibility of figuring out exactly what that will be, I use Pandora. It's like good radio only without the DJ. I don't mind ads and really wouldn't mind a good (enough) DJ, but, hey, 21st Century, right?

[Scott Dolan]

Absolutely. 

I personally never use it, but I can see it's usefulness. 

[Aggie87]

11 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

I guess it could be a generational thing, but myself and the few others I know that stream all listen to full albums at least 95% of the time.

I suspect it's a generational thing.  Neither of my kids do that when they stream music at all.  One's 20 and one's 16.

I do, but I'm not anywhere close to their age bracket.  Even then, it may be a subset of a generational thing.  My wife doesn't listen to full albums, ever - it drives her crazy, despite her overall love of music (which probably equals mine).  She just has what we affectionally call music-ADD.

So if I had to guess, there are generally far more people that don't, than do listen to full albums.

Edited May 15, 2018 by Aggie87

[JSngry]

Maybe the real lesson here is to stop making albums and start making singles or EP-like things. I'm not finding that many people today have that much to say, really, if they have any point at all, it's generally "a" point. Save everybody the time and the money and make that point, then go away to let it take root, if it will.

NP:

 

[Scott Dolan]

1 hour ago, Aggie87 said:

I suspect it's a generational thing.  Neither of my kids do that when they stream music at all.  One's 20 and one's 16.

I do, but I'm not anywhere close to their age bracket.  Even then, it may be a subset of a generational thing.  My wife doesn't listen to full albums, ever - it drives her crazy, despite her overall love of music (which probably equals mine).  She just has what we affectionally call music-ADD.

So if I had to guess, there are generally far more people that don't, than do listen to full albums.

Yeah, as I said, I concede the point. I’m sure you’re right. 

Those few I know that mostly listen to albums are all at least my age (47) or older. 

I’m perfectly content with being out of touch.  

48 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Maybe the real lesson here is to stop making albums and start making singles or EP-like things. I'm not finding that many people today have that much to say, really, if they have any point at all, it's generally "a" point. Save everybody the time and the money and make that point, then go away to let it take root, if it will.

NP:

 

A trend I’ve noticed, especially with newer artists, is that they tend to release 4-5 song EPs these days, so they seem to have proactively taken your advice. 

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

Cuscana is just quoting the classic "74 minutes of music" line from the original compact disc literature

[Scott Dolan]

Either that, or he’s simply highlighting his inability to focus and pay attention, which the medical industry now refers to as ADD. 

It’s an extremely absurd comment not matter how you try to dress it up. 

[Guy Berger]

16 hours ago, JSngry said:

Maybe the real lesson here is to stop making albums and start making singles or EP-like things. I'm not finding that many people today have that much to say, really, if they have any point at all, it's generally "a" point. Save everybody the time and the money and make that point, then go away to let it take root, if it will.

Yes, it is a relic of technology that we think of 40-45 or 75 min blocks of music as the norm/benchmark.  No particular reason to imagine they'll persist indefinitely during the streaming era.  Also, not clear we'll keep calling collections of music "albums", maybe they'll just be "playlists".

[Mary6170]

While I enjoy full albums, I recognize that many do not. I think that those who do not are finding more and more options to make it easier for them to listen to single songs, with today's technology and music delivery services. No one will be prevented from listening to a full album, but those who do not want to listen to full albums will find it easier.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Mary6170

[Brad]

1 hour ago, Mary6170 said:

While I enjoy full albums, I recognize that many do not. I think that those who do not are finding more and more options to make it easier for them to listen to single songs, with today's technology and music delivery services. No one will be prevented from listening to a full album, but those who do not want to listen to full albums will find it easier.

Well put.  In my car, I had been listening to my iPod using the random setting.  In the last month I’ve been listening to the full album and I like that a whole let better. 

[Scott Dolan]

3 hours ago, Guy Berger said:

Yes, it is a relic of technology that we think of 40-45 or 75 min blocks of music as the norm/benchmark.  No particular reason to imagine they'll persist indefinitely during the streaming era.  Also, not clear we'll keep calling collections of music "albums", maybe they'll just be "playlists".

I think those of us that grew up with albums will always refer to them as such. My guess is those who didn't have never, and will never refer to them as such. 

More generational detritus. Anyone feeling old yet?  

[JSngry]

2 hours ago, Brad said:

Well put.  In my car, I had been listening to my iPod using the random setting.  In the last month I’ve been listening to the full album and I like that a whole let better. 

I split the difference and leave the same CD in the car until I get ready for something else - but I seldom have a drive longer than, at most, 20 minutes.

Listening to a full album all at once now..it has to be a really special presentation, or in the case of getting through a few box sets a disc at a time on Sundays, part of a project.

Perhaps it's just burnout.

[Steve Reynolds]

Most of my listening these days is in the car and I have lots of 45 minute to 1 hour drives - perfect for good long slabs of improvised music or big parts of Grateful Dead shows. These 2 sorts of music is about 90% of the type/sort of music I listen to these days. 

[Patrick]

Performing and composing/arranging are two complementary skills. If satisfying art benefits from combining the two, do both have to be delivered by the same person? Or can one be satisfied/entranced/blown away by a great performance of material that was composed/arranged by someone else? Are there great performers/soloists who are not accomplished composers?

Agree with the recommendation for quality over quantity, even if it means circulating something less than a traditional LP unit (...whatever those were...).

[JSngry]

2 hours ago, Patrick said:

Or can one be satisfied/entranced/blown away by a great performance of material that was composed/arranged by someone else? Are there great performers/soloists who are not accomplished composers?

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?/forum/34-classical-discussion/