Although singles sales have declined on both sides of the Atlantic, some in the US now reckon the success of iTunes’ ‘pay-per-track’ download service means music fans will increasingly want to buy individual tracks rather than whole albums, and that trend will spill over into the CD buying sector. Coupled with the commercial success of some recent single releases and the increasing popularity of EPs some are now talking about the death of the conventional album.
Charles Goldstuck, president of BMG label RCA, told MTV: "The days of releasing an album with 17 or 18 cuts are over. It's difficult to give full quality with such an abundance of music. ... I think we can expect to see more extras in the future instead of additional songs."
Re: the recent success of singles from ‘American Idol’ winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken: "What that told us about the singles market is that with the right repertoire and setup, you can post the kind of numbers we haven't seen in five or six years. I think the success of these songs is causing labels to really look at this area again."
iTunes marketing director Peter Lowe said: "People want albums, too, but there is no question that they go to the store and buy the individual song they're interested in hearing. ... That instant gratification factor of finding the song you want is a big part of it."
Following recent successful online and retail EP releases from Ja Rule, the Libertines, Norah Jones, Beth Orton, Radio 4, Avril Lavigne and Ben Folds some now see the four/five track release as the future.
Goldstuck: "That configuration has been used to tease the marketplace in the past, especially in rock. But I think it will be a stronger trend because it's a lot easier for a fan to buy a five-song EP and get a taste of a band and not spend too much."