Albums or Playlists?

Blarobbarg · 10-23-2018, 11:02 AM

It should come as no surprise to anyone to say that playlists are now at least seemingly more popular than albums. Playlists allow for listener engagement, as they are painstakingly curated, like a DJs cratedigging for their club mix... or maybe not so much, just favorite songs tossed together to listen to on shuffle.

Personally, I love listening to albums. I adore music.- but frankly, I love it so much, it can become a chore to keep up with. I want to save and analyze each and every new release, and there are SO many new releases every week, even in just one genre, that's it's basically impossible. I would have to quit my job and drop out to listen to JUST all the good metal that was released this year, and as much as I'd like to, I don't have the time.

And that's where playlists come in. Playlists are low-pressure. I can turn on whatever Spotify is recommending, or a playlist made by a friend, or even my own, and just skip what I'm not feeling whenever I want. The songs aren't (usually) necessary to get a feel of a greater whole. Playlists are comfortable. It's also super fun (for me) to make playlists based on a certain theme or sound, and see all the different kinds of songs and genres I can put together and still end up with a coherent end product.

So, what about you? Have you joined the transition to playlist listening? Or are you still all albums all the time?

10-23-2018, 11:02 AM	#1 (permalink)
Blarobbarg Do good. Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Posts: 2,065	Albums or Playlists? It should come as no surprise to anyone to say that playlists are now at least seemingly more popular than albums. Playlists allow for listener engagement, as they are painstakingly curated, like a DJs cratedigging for their club mix... or maybe not so much, just favorite songs tossed together to listen to on shuffle. Personally, I love listening to albums. I adore music.- but frankly, I love it so much, it can become a chore to keep up with. I want to save and analyze each and every new release, and there are SO many new releases every week, even in just one genre, that's it's basically impossible. I would have to quit my job and drop out to listen to JUST all the good metal that was released this year, and as much as I'd like to, I don't have the time. And that's where playlists come in. Playlists are low-pressure. I can turn on whatever Spotify is recommending, or a playlist made by a friend, or even my own, and just skip what I'm not feeling whenever I want. The songs aren't (usually) necessary to get a feel of a greater whole. Playlists are comfortable. It's also super fun (for me) to make playlists based on a certain theme or sound, and see all the different kinds of songs and genres I can put together and still end up with a coherent end product. So, what about you? Have you joined the transition to playlist listening? Or are you still all albums all the time?