Junos 2015: Albums spinning toward irrelevance, say insiders

Leonard Cohen, Nickelback, Hedley and Quebec singers Bobby Bazini and Serge Fioriare all vying for a Juno Award for album of the year this weekend.

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With nominations determined by sales, it's one of the night's most coveted trophies.But the prize,like the format it champions, is becoming increasingly irrelevant, according to music insiders.

Album sales in 2014 were dismal.According to theRecording Industry Association of America, only three artists with albums released last year attained platinum status in the U.S., selling more than one million physical and digital units: Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Jason Aldean.

By comparison, 13 albums went platinum in 2013. Turn back the clock to 1994, the heyday of the CD, and that number jumps to 38 albums.

'Demise of the album'

"Technology is completely the reason for the demise of the album," music journalist Joshua Ostroffof Huffington Post Canada toldCBC News.

Ostroff says that with CDs, people hadto buy the whole album even if they only liked one or two songs. But that changed as soon as digital downloads entered the picture.

"Once Napster came around and allowed them to pick and choose what song they want, and then iTunes, and now streaming, people just listened to the songs that they want, Ostroff says."

The increased popularity of streaming in the last year could account for the particularly steep drop in album sales in that same period.

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But artists and music labels might have also played a part in souring fans' relationship with albums.

"For a certain number of years, a lot of great artists really used that to make cohesive album statements. Nowadays, it's kind of back to being compilations of singles andfiller," says Ostroff.

Surviving in a singles-driven world

Ostroffpoints out that outstanding albums that tell a cohesive story from the first song to the last, like Adele'sbreak-up opus21, are still managingfind an audience today.But such albums are now anomalies, not the norm.

Being a pop superstar also helps.

Drake and Beyonc have the kind of fan following that securedsales and streams for their surprise albums, even though they came with no pre-selected singles (Beyonc'scould only be bought as a whole album).

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But most artists are bracing themselves for a world wheretheir singles, not albums, will be the measure of their success.

David Usher, who has had successful albums as a solo artist and as the lead singer of Canadian rock band Moist,says he could adapt toonly putting out singles.

The album's 'days are numbered, says David Usher

10 years ago

Duration 2:15

British-Canadian singer-songwriter David Usher describes the forces leading to the the demise of the album.

"I feel like there's still a story to be told with an album. But not everyone wants to hear it," Usher said in an interview with CBC News."So there's definitely an opening to re-visualize what the length of the story should be."

And all signs point to a shorter story.

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