Have we come full circle?

I have a theory.  Should I take a poll?  When was the last time you actually sat down and listened to a full-length recording from start to finish?  Unless you're an audiophile or an engineer, it's probably been awhile.  I suspect it's been several years.  My theory is this: We've returned to being consumers of single songs, much  like the early days of the recording industry.  Only this time, it's become a soundtrack for our lives.

When Thomas Edison first invented the wax cylinder, it became possible for us humans to listen to a previously performed song in the privacy of our own living room.  Before then, one would have to witness the musical event in person.  Among the limitations of the cylinder was the time limit.  Early cylinders would hold only about 2 minutes of audio.  Later, it would advance to 4 minutes.  Just about enough time for one song.

Then came along disc recordings.  At 78 RPM, disc phonographs would play about the same length per side.  But, because there were two sides, there was room for two songs.  If a record label were to release more than two songs from an artist, multiple records would be packaged together in an "album."  Due to the cost of producing records, careful attention was paid to crafting and picking the songs that would be included.  The result was a collection of good, well-written songs.

Technology changed again and we could now fit up to 25 minutes per side of a 33 1/3 RPM Long Playing (LP) record.  The term "album" stuck through the consolidation of music to a single disc. 

45RPM records appeared around the same time and were a smaller format and cheaper to produce.  With their sonic superiority, they were intended to replace the 78RPM discs.

45's were more commonly purchased by teenagers while LP's were purchased primarily by adults who had more disposable income.  Initially, while LP's would sell, single 45's made the most money for record labels.  Often, labels would pressure artists for singles they could release and get radio play to generate money to produce full-length records.  It was common to hear a single on the radio and buy the 45 within days of recording it.

LP's took more time and cost to produce.  As I said before, it was important to carefully consider the material that went onto the LP.  Those of us who remember (and still have) our vinyl records, distinctly remember songs that didn't make the radio.  There were many.  A great album was a collection of songs that could stand on their own as singles.

8-tracks enjoyed success from 1965 to the late 1970's.  They were the first "portable" music format.  You can't play records very well in your car.  Even if you could, it would be impractical.  Radio was fine in the car, but the station chose what to play.  With 8-tracks, the choice was ours.  8-tracks consisted of 4 stereo tracks on an endless loop tape cassette.  Only one stereo track would playback at a time.  A full LP could fit onto an 8-track.  However, sometimes songs would need to be suffled into a different order.  Often, a song might fade out at the end of a loop and then fade back in on the next track.  While 8-tracks died out with disco in the general population, they continued to serve radio broadcasters as "carts" for commercials and short material through the late 1990's.

Cassettes came shortly after the 8-track, offering a much more compact portable medium.  With blank cassettes, we could record our favorite LP's and take them with us in the car.  We could also make "mixtapes" and give them to anyone we wanted.  We could make a mixtape of love songs for our sweetheart or a workout mixtape to listen to while we exercised.

In 1978, Sony introduced the Walkman.  The first personal portable cassette player.  The headphones were miniaturized as well.  We could now listen to our music while walking, riding, skating or any number of ambulatory methods that tickled our fancy.  All without bothering anyone else.

Compact Discs emerged in 1983.  Initially, CD's were expensive to manufacture.  Previously released albums were remastered and re-released on CD.  Playback systems were also expensive.  As costs lowered, it became a more popular format.  Eventually, CD's became portable too.

As CD's began to takeover the LP market, record labels were beginning to push artists to release their contractually obligated albums. Less attention was paid to writing quality songs.  Songwriters would write "filler" songs to fill out rest of the album time.  It reached a point where there were only two or three songs on a CD that were worthy of airplay.  Single CD's cost just as much to manufacture as full-length CD's, so record labels decided they weren't worth the effort.  Few artists were carefully crafting their projects.  Most of the popular stuff was generic.  But, people wanted the songs they heard on the radio and would cough up the extra money for the full-length disc.

Enter the consumer digital age and MP3's.  Did you know that MP3 is a format designed by video people?  MP3 is short for MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer-3.  MPEG stands for Moving Picture Experts Group.  Anyway, MP3's were small and could be shared via the internet.  If you wanted to share a song with someone, you could email it to them.  Websites like Napster and Rhaposdy quickly rose to help facilitate people sharing files.  Labels cried "murder" (again) and started suing.  Laws were passed and children were being fined for piracy.

Then came iTunes.  Steve Jobs essentially dictated terms to the record labels and slowly helped the record industry realize it could survive in the modern age.  Labels needed to adapt to the technology.  Why would someone spend $17 for a CD filled with fluff for two songs they really wanted, when they could now buy the songs they wanted for $2?  And they could do it legally.

The demographics haven't changed much.  Most music is still purchased by 13-year-old girls.  They hear a song on the radio and they have to get in on their iPod right away.  The CD as a merchandizing tool is on its way out.  Anyone can post music to iTunes and they do.  It's become more cost effective to produce and release your own music.  Artists are selling "download cards" at their shows for an EP (usually 3-6 songs) and charge $5.

Speaking of iPods, music has become so portable now, a lot of us take it for granted.  It used to be, we would sit around a listen to music.  Now, it's on while we're doing dishes or dusting.  It's background noise while we work.  It's on in grocery stores while we shop.  It has permeated every facet of our existence.  So much so, it's become almost mundane.

There was a time when the "single" was king. I believe we've returned to that era - albeit with a twist.  As Dennis Miller used to say, "That's my opnion.  I could be wrong."

Rock .  Roll.  Repeat.

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