Stop calling MP3s on the internet "albums".

Chula Vista · 08-01-2017, 03:14 PM

Total old man rant. Humor me as a guy who once owned about 500 vinyl albums back when there were no other formats available.

I'm going to go start recording my next album. Stay tuned.

Trollheart · 08-01-2017, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

You didn't disappoint.

Wonder why we never called CDs "albums". We just called them CDs. Same with cassettes.

Yeah that's untrue. I would say "I got this album on CD". Of course I would at the time never say "I got this album on vinyl" cos that was all we had. But I still called them albums, and alternately CDs, usually to differentiate between the at the time slowly-growing digital part of my collection and the old analogue one.

The Identity Matrix · 08-01-2017, 03:17 PM

But "a group of songs I just cobbled together and threw on bandcamp" is much harder to say than "album"

**Frownland** · 08-01-2017, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Total old man rant. Humor me as a guy who once owned about 500 vinyl albums back when there were no other formats available.

I'm going to go start recording my next album. Stay tuned.

Oh ****, you gonna break some new ground and do some penatonic soloing?

I wonder if anyone made a similar rant when people started calling vinyl records albums. "Albums are PHYSICAL collections, not collections of SOUNDS. Can you touch a sound? I didn't think so. These youngins are out of control."

Mondo Bungle · 08-01-2017, 03:19 PM

Chula Vista · 08-01-2017, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix

But "a group of songs I just cobbled together and threw on bandcamp" is much harder to say than "album"

Which is why we need a new word.

"Internet Collection"
"Bandcamp Release"

The first two that come to mind.

Frowny, I'll stop leaning on my influences as soon as you put out something melodic, with no extraneous noise or dissonance.

I'm currently collarborating with another forum member on an "album". Wanna try a song together?

Mondo Bungle · 08-01-2017, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chula Vista

Frowny, I'll stop leaning on my influences as soon as you put out something melodic, with no extranneous noise or dissonance.

proof that people don't pay attention to anything I say

LoathsomePete · 08-01-2017, 03:26 PM

Here's a question though, what about music I have stored on my hard drive, in a file... that is titled whatever the album is called.... the songs in order of their appearance on vinyl... with some sort of image file of the album cover... is that an album?

Trollheart · 08-01-2017, 03:28 PM

A lot of the time it was a status symbol kind of thing. When CDs first came out, you'd say "Oh I got the new Prince album on CD!" so that everyone would know you had bought it on the newest medium. This quickly became blase and so we all reverted to saying albums, but yeah, CD did enter the language as a sort of replacement for album, just as LP or record did for vinyl. Kind of.

How many more clouds you gonna shout at? Cryin' in the corner, eh? Mind if I join ye?

~~MicShazam~~ · 08-01-2017, 03:28 PM

To me, an album is a bunch of tracks of whatever description, put together with the intention of forming some kind of lose or meticulously planned whole. So if I sit down at my computer and come up with 10 .mp3 files that I intend to go together somehow. Maybe based on vibe, style or inspiration, then it's an album to me. Whether any physical sound storage medium or any real instruments are involved is immaterial to me. It doesn't feel right if there's no cover art to go with it though, but even a thumbnail would qualify to me.

All the albums I've made are albums to me. Given my idea of what an album is, there's definitely no ego stroking involved there. I wouldn't use the term "released" though. That makes it sound like I've had some sort of contract or something. But I will say that I've "uploaded an album I just made".

08-01-2017, 03:14 PM	#11 (permalink)
Chula Vista Toasted Poster Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SoCal by way of Boston Posts: 11,332	Total old man rant. Humor me as a guy who once owned about 500 vinyl albums back when there were no other formats available. I'm going to go start recording my next album. Stay tuned. __________________ “The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

08-01-2017, 03:26 PM	#18 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	Here's a question though, what about music I have stored on my hard drive, in a file... that is titled whatever the album is called.... the songs in order of their appearance on vinyl... with some sort of image file of the album cover... is that an album? __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

08-01-2017, 03:28 PM	#19 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	A lot of the time it was a status symbol kind of thing. When CDs first came out, you'd say "Oh I got the new Prince album on CD!" so that everyone would know you had bought it on the newest medium. This quickly became blase and so we all reverted to saying albums, but yeah, CD did enter the language as a sort of replacement for album, just as LP or record did for vinyl. Kind of. How many more clouds you gonna shout at? Cryin' in the corner, eh? Mind if I join ye? __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

08-01-2017, 03:28 PM	#20 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,636	To me, an album is a bunch of tracks of whatever description, put together with the intention of forming some kind of lose or meticulously planned whole. So if I sit down at my computer and come up with 10 .mp3 files that I intend to go together somehow. Maybe based on vibe, style or inspiration, then it's an album to me. Whether any physical sound storage medium or any real instruments are involved is immaterial to me. It doesn't feel right if there's no cover art to go with it though, but even a thumbnail would qualify to me. All the albums I've made are albums to me. Given my idea of what an album is, there's definitely no ego stroking involved there. I wouldn't use the term "released" though. That makes it sound like I've had some sort of contract or something. But I will say that I've "uploaded an album I just made".