Has music streaming killed the instrumental intro?

Post by failrate » Wed, Nov 29, 2017, 11:27 PM UTC

sbuttgereit wrote: post #20

jgforbes wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this were true, wouldn't radio have had the same affect?

Yes, though a radio station would often times start with an intro and let the record play through the next track (speaking as a child of the 70's when progressive rock / concept albums were at their peak). DJs & programming directors knew that certain tracks would not make sense on their own and would adjust. I have a hunch that it's not streaming that's really responsible, per se, but the "Shuffle" function that's b…

Post by Moru » Wed, Nov 29, 2017, 11:40 PM UTC

pradn wrote: post #21

dhimes wrote: post #10

[I didn't read the article, but] I think the move to buying songs one-at-a-time has hurt the whole 'album' concept, including long intros, long interludes, and the idea of a body of work that builds on a theme.

I think that was true for the iTunes years before Spotify and other streaming services came along. Before, you had to pay for each song so you picked just a few you liked. Now, it's just as easy to play the whole album as to play one song. (In facts, it's easier to queue up an album than to play one song at a time since you have to choose what to play fewer times per time interval.) Anecdotally, we've seen whole-albu…

Post by chiefalchemist » Wed, Nov 29, 2017, 11:48 PM UTC

Roboprog wrote: post #55

chiefalchemist wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would think you'd have to argue that the answer is more. The crux being that mega companies no longer have absolute control over a limited number of distribution channels (e.g., traditional radio). That has to have led gaps for other genres to edge in. Look at EMD a couple years ago. That, I don't think, was driven by top down marketing dollars. I think you're likely talking about less accessible genres, but I thin…

EDM? (Electronic Dance Music) Or am I missing something and EMD is not a typo (quite possible)?

Post by goialoq » Thu, Nov 30, 2017, 12:01 AM UTC

pwinnski wrote: post #3

I recall reading that the push for shorter intros and 3 to 3.5 minute songs was radio, pre-streaming.

    It was a beautiful song,
    but it ran too long  
    If you're gonna have a hit
    you gotta make it fit
    So they cut it down to 3:05.

Post by puzzle » Thu, Nov 30, 2017, 1:18 AM UTC

dctoedt wrote: post #62

saghm wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is purely anecdotal, but there are a bunch of songs I can remember hearing on the radio growing up (15-20 years ago, although the songs were much older than I was) that had extended instrumental intros that were almost always cut out; offhand, "Jump" by Van Halen and "Fly Like an Eagle" by Steve Miller come to mind, although I'm sure there are others I can't quite recall (technically the intro to "Jump" was list…

Also from the 70s: Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding by Elton John (on the Yellow Brick Road album, vocals start at 5:35) and Foreplay / Long Time by Boston (on the debut album, vocals start at 2:30). Of course, each of these is really an instrumental piece prepended to a vocal song.