The new album from rock band Linkin Park has raised a few interesting points about the music business:
SALES
Linkin Parks new album “A Thousand Suns” sold 241,000 copies in the US it’s first week of sale – and went straight to number 1 in the Billboard charts – Their last album, back in 2007, “Minutes to Midnight” sold 623,000 This is being blamed on the download culture in music – kids expect music for free and Linkin Park have a high population of “young” fans.
MUSIC STYLE
Now this has been called aconcept album and – unless you’re Pink Floyd – that can sometimes mean a bit of a flop sales-wise.
The band have definitely entered new territory (the single The Catalyst could almost be Prodigy or Pendulum) which may have earned them a few fans – kids are a lot more crossover in tastes nowadays.
The problem is, that as it’s been flagged up as a concept album, well you have no idea what to expect. Which is where my next point comes in
STREAMING
Personally I listen to music online first (via streaming site Spotify) and if I really like it, I’ll buy it. You can’t listen to A Thousand Suns on Spotify as you need to have a premium membership. I won’t be buying a membership in order to listen to an album if I don’t know what it sounds like. Have Linkin Park shot themselves in the foot here – if people could at least listen to part of a song, or a few tracks, then they may be more inclined to buy it?
In fact, should Linkin Park have “done a Radiohead” and released it for free, allowing fans to set their own price? Or do a Nine INch Nails, and allow fans to download for free, but buy box sets, exclusive content etc? Both of these models work if the band has such a following already that enough fans will support it. I think Linkin Park fall into this category.
ALBUM FORMAT
Another interesting point, the band seem very keen to preserve the album format
Mike Shinoda – “People are used to consuming music in kind of small, bite-sized pieces, as we are, too, but yeah, we kind of made a six-course meal or a 15-course meal for you. If you decide to just, you know, check it out in little bits and pieces, that works. That’s fine, but you will be kind of foregoing an experience that is special, and we want people to know that the record is, you know, something that if you listen to it from beginning to end you’ll get something extra out of it.”
You have to wonder, in todays age, whether the concept album is a dying idea – nowadays people DO pick and choose – I love music but with so much out there, I don’t think I’ve listened to a new album all the way through, in months.
