Just received the following email from Reuben Halsey, creator of the “Into the Light” radio show with regards to album’s and if they should be replaced by shorter EP size releases. At the end of the post, let us know your thoughts.
Dear Listeners,
I’ve been working on a new album for a while now and recently I have begun to question whether or not the album format is relevant and worthwhile anymore. Last year The Prodigy mentioned in an interview with NME that they were planning to stop making full length albums altogether. In their view, making an album is such a long process – it means going away for as long as 5 years to record and produce a large collection of tracks, leaving fans without new music to enjoy during that time.
Times have changed and the world is much more fast paced now. People want things instantly or they get distracted and move onto other interests. Maybe going away for a few years to write an album is an old style of working that no longer applies today and it needs an update. Perhaps it’s better to instead release 4-5 track EPs on a more regular basis and drop the whole album idea completely. That way fans have new music to listen to more often, without the huge waits. It would keep things fresh and more current. I also think it might be better for the artist. Sometimes when we’ve been working on one project for a long time we get tired of it. The end can seem so far away that it’s daunting. With bite sized EPs the end is in sight and we can get excited about the creative process as well as get the music out there and move onto the next project.
I would love to hear from you about this. Does the album experience still matter and is it worth waiting for? Or is it better to have new music coming at you more often? If I told you that finishing my current album might take another year (or more) but that that if I split it up into smaller EPs I could have a release out this summer what would you prefer?
Thanks,
Reuben