If this story it was a gritty crime novel, the title might be The Case of the Mysteriously Shrinking album.
In recent weeks, both Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have unveiled projects that seem to include every bit of music they've ever recorded for their respective albums: Cowboy Carter spans 27 tracks, his full version Department of Tormented Poets to 31. But while critics and some fans grapple with this material overload, another diametrically opposed trend is taking shape. For some contemporary pop artists and a few veterans, nothing beats an album that can be digested over lunch.
Dua Lipa's new Radical Optimismthe latter example, clocking in at 11 songs and joining a list of relatively concise recent releases: Olivia Rodrigo's Offal (12 songs), Maggie Rogers' Do not forget me (10), 4batz's debut you made me st4r (11), veteran Sheryl Crow's Development (10), even country songwriter Tyler Childers' Rustin' in the Rain (7). Billie Eilish is coming Hit hard and soft, out next week, will be limited to 10 new tracks, while the new Avett Brothers record tops out at nine. One could easily listen to three of them in the same amount of time it would take to digest most Department of Tormented Poets.
Of course, most classic albums from the 60s through the 80s stuck to these lengths due to the limitations of the LP format. To this day, record executives refer to those of Michael Jackson Impressive work and Marvin Gaye What happens (nine songs each) as examples of perfect records that were not slow to welcome. These limitations went out the studio window when the record arrived in the 80s. With run times that could stretch to 80 minutes—twice the length of a standard vinyl album—the CD allowed artists to stick as many songs as they wanted onto a new album. If said artists wrote or co-wrote their own material, it could also lead to a publishing windfall, which only encouraged self-indulgence. And in the age of streaming, the more songs there are for fans to stream, the better an artist's placement and revenue.
So why are albums suddenly getting the short end of the stick? The trend could have something to do with the ongoing revival of the LP, a physical format that generally can't hold more than a half-dozen or more songs per side. last year, 43 million LPs were sold, up 14% from the previous year.
Warner Brothers UK head Joe Kentish, who has been Dua Lipa's A&R executive since her first album, says he and Dua have always aimed for a tighter statement, from her 12-song debut to Radical Optimism. “With this album, it felt like it was there, conceptually and musically, really in the pocket,” he says. “He just wanted to have the songs that he felt made a great record.”
Keeping listeners' attention — with so many other distractions vying for time — may also play a role in the trend, according to a senior executive at the major A&R firm. “For this generation, the album experience is very different,” says the executive. “In the past you put Dark Side of the Moon, turn off the lights and listen. It was an exciting experience. Now albums are just part of their menu.”
Kentish agrees that more concise albums are a way to combat the behavior of some music listeners to bounce around streaming services, from one artist or album to another. “When you put music on a streaming service, there's less of a chance they'll listen to it in that order,” he says. “In this environment, it makes people want smaller discs. You're trying to keep people's attention. You own the environment of what someone is listening to, to some extent.”
The other label executive believes the ease with which new music can be recorded and released is also a factor: Dua Lipa and Rodrigo, for example, have released extended versions of Future Nostalgia and Offal, respectively, with additional songs. “Everybody records a lot of music and doesn't call a 10-song album 'chapter 1,' but it probably is,” says the executive. “You think it's the whole meal, but after that there's another meal. I don't know if that's cynical, but it's the reality.”
The move comes with some risks. when Offal arrived last summer, some Rodrigo fans, used to big records, looked online about how little they were allegedly getting: “They really call anything an 'album' these days,” wrote one. “Well basically an EP,” posted another.
But fans may just have to adjust. “There's a real desire to maintain creative consistency and only have the best songs,” says Kentish. “As they say, 'All killer, no filler'”.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/albums-are-getting-shorter-dua-lipa-billie-eilish-1235005287/