TUCSON, Ariz. — When was the last time you listened to a full album, as opposed to skipping to your favorite tracks?
In a new study of 8,000 people, music streaming service Deezer found that that more than half (54%) are listening to fewer albums than 5 - 10 years ago.
Nowadays, music "fans" prefer hearing a mix of tracks from different artists rather than putting all of their eggs into one musical basket. Also, having too much music to choose from and a busy schedule has added to the decline of albums.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the survey is that 1 in 10 people feel that artists don’t make albums like they used to.
“The amount of great music released these days is so huge and available time has shrunk so much, it’s no surprise that more music fans turn to playlists for their music fix. But listeners shouldn’t ditch albums. They represent the artist’s vision, tell a story and take you on a musical journey," said Frederic Antelme, who is Deezer’s VP Content and Productions.
To get you back into the spirit of listening to full albums, front to back, Deezer put together some of the most streamed albums. Also, check out the top 10 genres. It's not looking too good for Dance and Gospel music.
The top 10 genres of music for "full album listening" across the world:
- Pop - 39%
- Rock - 38%
- R&B - 20%
- Rap - 19%
- Hip Hop - 18%
- Country - 16%
- Soundtracks - 14%
- Variété française - 14%
- Dance - 13%
- Gospel - 13%
Another interesting percentage is that 94% of the 8,000 people surveyed said they'd reconsider listening to a full album is a higher quality or HiFi version was available.
