New Album releases used to be a big event...what happened?

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Perhaps it was my imagination, or youthful naietivity but back a few years when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, when the big groups came out with an album (LP) it was a big event. Radio stations used to hype up the first single, sometime playing them in advance of when they were supposed to...sure it was mostly hype, but I miss it. When Zeppelin, ACDC, Journey, Foreigner, Ozzy etc...then later REM, U2 etc came out with a record it was seemingly more celebrated than it is today.

 

Does it still exist and I am missing is somehow? Or was I just imagining it...Has it all (the music and music industry) just become so fragmented and watered down that it means so much less?

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I don't know if you were around for the discussion, but we kinda talked about something pretty similar here ...

 

I agree with the idea that popular music is very fragmented, and that there are more albums and more recording artists than ever before. Just those things alone probably result in exactly what you described above...

 

But fragmentation can be a good thing too, at least from an artistic standpoint. Being that it's now inexpensive enough that artists of all kinds are able to release albums, there's bound to be *some* music out there which appeals directly to you (if you're not interested with what's on the radio and you don't mind searching around a little bit).

 

 

 

This message has been edited by popmusic on 06-24-2001 at 10:56 PM

[Hippie]

I think the "no hype" releases from the record companies is a government plot to reduce the power of pop singers. Ever since the FBI did a surveillance of John Lennon in the 70's, it was deemed these pop icons have way too much power over the political influence of America. The record companies were told by the gov't. to "tone in down". This is also why record companies do not nurture artists over the course of long periods of time, like they used to, in fear they will become too powerful & politically influential.

 

Actually, this is a dream I had. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

 

-Hippie

[KenElevenShadows]

Gosh, i thought there was a pretty good buzz for the last U2 album and the last two Radiohead releases. I think there's a lot of buzz out there for hip-hop/rap releases as well, but I'm not really tuned into that as much -- I just overhear kids talking about it sometimes.

 

In line with your comment, though, is that when I was a kid, say, 6th grade or so, we used to go to listen to records at people's houses. One of us would save up our paper route money and go and buy a record, and we'd all converge on that kid's house and hang out and have a listen. Do kids still do this? Adults usually don't. A lot of my friends will say things like, "Hey, you've got to hear this!" and loan me a copy or play it when i come over.

 

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[Anderton]

I think music just doesn't occupy as vital a center in people's lives anymore...there's the internet, cable TV, satellite, cell phones, video games, etc. etc. Back in the 60s when the only way to see a movie was in a theater and TV consisted of a few networks, entertainment choices were more limited, and recordings assumed greater importance.