“One time manager of Pink Floyd, Sincere Management’s Pete Jenner slammed iTunes for its effect on album sales at a UK music industry event this week,” Jonny Evans reports for Distorted-Loop.
“Speaking at a MusicTank conference, he said Apple’s music store has ‘had the disastrous effect on the record industry of debundling the album.’ He complained cherry-picking tracks from albums means consumers now ‘buy the two album tracks that are worth buying,’ Music Week informs,” Evans reports.
Full article here.
Consumers now have the ability to buy only the music that’s “worth buying.”
Imagine that.
As we’ve previously explained multiple times, Pete Jenner confirms that the album is an artificial construct or “bundle” designed to force consumers to pay more for the bits they want. Welcome to the new paradigm, Pete; however many years late you may be. The customer — long ripped-off by the music cartels — is firmly in power now. Choice now reigns supreme.
Ironically, Pink Floyd is one of the examples of bands whose music is often worth buying in the album form and playing in the order laid out by the artist. But, that is neither here nor there. The point is that the choice should be in the hands of the consumers and now, thanks to Apple, it is.
So, buy albums when you deem them worthy, but be thankful that you have the choice to debundle as you like; it’ll only make music better in the long run as “filler” will cease to be created.
well maybe my theory doesn’t hold up these days. There was a time when record companies signed groups based on talent. Now it has more to do with looks and marketing, i.e. Britney. She’s put her own spin on Dark Side of the Moon
I only bought albums for the cool covers. Is there a market out there still for Molly Hatchet and Uriah Heep?
I don’t know about anybody else, but in my opinion, Meddle is just one long, amazing, incredible journey from start to finish. It’s a shame it’s classed as an “album.”
I think its great maybe artist can go back to releasing single album. 2 great songs and none of the rubbish. Artist and music labels now need to work work their money cause we aren’t buying the rest anymore. Its a great incentive!
That jackass fell right into the trap.
Who let him speak in public?
They can keep their music, and I will keep my money.
What could be more fair??
A little fuel to the fire.
Pink Floyd was one of the few bands that took the ‘album’ seriously. <back in the day that is>
The Wall and DSOTM were totally about the album. IMO there were a handful of ‘albums’ from the rolling stones where the B side was WAY better than the A side (yes this was 20 or more years ago)
Point is that Pink Floyd did in fact put out albums that were meant <from an artist standpoint> to consumed as a whole.
I guess I am saying don’t bag on PF they got it right.
@ Gil “I just found my 45 of Money.”
HAHAHAHAHA that pretty much sums the whole thing up.
All this PF chatter makes me want to sync of DSOTHM with the Wizard of Oz again and marvel.
One can listen to previews of ALL the album tracks before buying one or more songs from iTunes. I don’t see what Jenner’s bloody problem is. A consumer could easily decide right then and there which tracks they’ll buy. With DSoTM, it’s one that most would WANT to buy the whole thing, though, if really a fan of classic rock. Hasn’t he made enough money off of that album by now anyway?? Greedy bastard. Power to the consumer!! iTunes rocks (literally). [Raises glass to early Pink Floyd music, too].
I find it a bit hypocritical that all the bands that complain about selling albums piecemeal have compilation/greatest hits albums. I don’t see them arguing with their labels to pull those albums from the market due to artistic reasons! They’ll happily take our money for those. I agree with earlier posts, artists rarely, if ever, play an album end to end at a concert. Heck, they rarely play the songs the same way! So much for trying to sustain the status quo. (That being said, there are some albums that I only listen to in one sitting).
@M
So I guess you never, ever, ever listen to less than the entire album when you listen to DSOTM.
Right?
@richard
iTunes does not force you not to buy the entire album.
Okay, that’s a terrible sentence.
Try this;
Through iTunes, Apple gives you the choice of buying the entire album, or just the bits you want.
Unfair, eh?
For the record (heehee! pun!), I like some of DSOTM, other parts not very much, and I absolutely hate the track “Money”.
When I hear the opening cash register sounds, I change the station faster than when I hear the intro to the Jim Rome show.
But according to richard’s Rules of Music, I should be forced to purchase the entire album, just because you think that’s the way it should be.
I am thankful Steve Jobs, not richard, runs Apple.
@brandon- Queensryche played TWO albums back to back on their tour a few years ago. Great show. But very few bands do this these days. Dream Theater also comes to mind.
But I agree with your points.
Long ago I discovered that a really good album was one that contained 3 good songs out of ten. Now because of iTunes, I don’t feel ripped off.
Pink who? Art? You must be kidding. If an artist has to tell me that his work is art then it most assuredly isn’t. You want art? Try Janis Joplin. There’s a life story in those songs. It doesn’t matter what order they’re played in. They each speak of a time and a place and an experience. Pink Floyd? Come on!
If it’s art, make art, not filler.
The Beatles, CCR, Early O.A.R. Early Stones, even Floyd used to do it. What has really killed the Album has been the ability to sample all of the music on it. I’ve been able to hold onto a lot more dollars because of that.
Instead of crying about it, why don’t they supply better music for the album?
The CD format may have undermined the album concept. On vinyl an album was about 40 minutes and you could only hear 20 minutes at a time. 20 minutes is about the average human’s attention span… you can be totally riveted for 20 minutes of an artist’s music. Having songs of various quality meander on for 60 or 70 minutes is just too much. Which is why people tend to like having their iPods on shuffle… you get a break and get a surprise now and then.
That said, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Brian Eno, Miles Davis etc. put out some the greatest and most thematically coherent and compelling of albums… but, yes, most modern albums are just a couple of good songs surrounded by 50 minutes of sonic filler.
Not only did Pink Floyd release a single for Money (b-side was Any Colour You Like), they also released a single for Time/Us and Them so those bastards predated Apple in their march toward the destruction of the album as we know it by over thirty years! They were really ahead of their time
I’m of that age group era and say Pink Floyd should be lucky to be still selling the only 2 songs worth buying.
Pink Floyd is my favorite group and has been so for many years. I buy their albums and over a period of time come to love all their songs. With this said, however, there are other groups that I cherry pick the songs.
They buyer should be able to buy what he wants and not be forced to pay for items that he doesn’t want. The music industry is fighting this because it cuts into their profits. This is the future and they are living in the past.
I am rather comprehensiv for the artists and their will to have an album received as a whole and integre concept… Yet, even listening to Pink Floyd’s “Umaguma”, i still always fellt free to ick and play only “Set the control to the heart of the sun”.
Therefore, despite of some troubles with ego… one can consider to sell just one song, if some just loves it above and behond all the others…
Teach Apple a lesson!
Pink Floyd should release their songs only in 8-track.
It’s painful to watch, it really is.
And so it continues…
If the ARTIST wants to restrict how their work is sold, their desires should not compromised by either the record label, Itunes, OR the consumer. If they wish to “debundle”, great; if not, tough.
It’s amazing that the same people/consumers who rail against piracy as theft from artists will bash those same artists when they choose to release their work in a way that displeases the consumer; get a clue.
And, of course, MDN once again shows complete ignorance toward the evolution of the album as an integrated medium. We’re not talking about “concept” albums, but albums as a capsule of an artist’s work at a given point in time. Has great material been bundled with crap just to make the labels more money? Sure, and now, should the artist or (unfortunately) the labels wish to make them available separately, good for them.
But the mistake everyone (particularly MDN) make on this issue is with on who should be making the decision; if the artists want to ONLY sell albums (or the “bundles” foisted on us by the music “cartels”, in MDNese), then neither the labels OR Itunes OR the consumer should prevent them from doing so.
“Pink who? Art? You must be kidding. If an artist has to tell me that his work is art then it most assuredly isn’t. You want art? Try Janis Joplin. There’s a life story in those songs. It doesn’t matter what order they’re played in. They each speak of a time and a place and an experience. Pink Floyd? Come on!”
Thanks for your worthless musical opinion, Zeke; much appreciated.