I've always admired the vinyl years. No skipping, all tracks had to work to take the listener on a journey with ebbs and flows. The vinyl manifesto of the 70's is one that I attempt to adhere to today.
It was 1996 when as a fresh faced 11 year old I strolled into the Virgin Megastore in Birmingham city centre. The purchase of 'Kula Shaker - K' on CD cost £13.49 and would be my first album. Little did I know this would become a topic of discussion throughout my life and a transaction that would prove to be of greater significance than first single purchase. (Ace of Base - Happy Nation or the Macarena????!!!!)
My love affair with the long player had begun.
The music industry was riding a wave of album sales which had been existentially growing since 1982, eventually peaking in the year 2000. The wave broke the year after in 2001 and the steady decline in album sales commenced.
Not so coincidentally, 2001 Napster; the peer to peer internet software which allowed the sharing of audio files, was founded.
Do I blame Napster for the decline?
It is undeniable that the ability to take someone's hard work for free is damaging. Although I do believe people used the platform not understanding the illegality and the consequences on the artists long term.
However, in desperate attempts to salvage the decline in album sales EMI threw an eye watering £80 million contract at Robbie Williams in 2002. "I am rich beyond my wildest dreams!" claimed Robbie Williams. I often ponder the diversity and quality albums that could of been signed and promoted for such a staggering amount.
As the industry eats itself with gluttony and desperation I remained besotted with my guitar dreaming of creating albums.
2012 and album sales have reached rock bottom. 14th May 2012 Guile - 'Alone on the West' is released.
It is such a proud moment to release an album. Consumed with a passion and drive for the project, global record sales were a mere niggle in the back of the mind. We had both toured and rehearsed relentlessly and the album seemed to be a reward, a symbol of the hard work, dedication and a period of our lives documented.
The creation of the album seemed associated with endeavour, credibility and artistry. I recall memories of music enthusiasts often posing the question "but can they do an album" when discussing a strong single. 'Alone on the West' was mission complete for me personally and to this day a set of songs I am very proud of.
5th April 2019. My debut solo album 'Ballads of the Mortal was released digitally.
In an age where singles rule, and attention spans are short why the album?
Trying to get bloggers to review the album is like shooting fish in a barrel. Whilst the monthly magazines only tend to review albums with PR firm behind the release, for an independent artist it seems releasing an album is only the beginning of disappointments and rejections.
An accumulation of blood, sweat and tears, 'Ballads of the Mortal' represents more than a collection of 11 songs to me. Although 11 songs that I am deeply in awe of, it is a piece of work that had be done as a symbol of overcoming life's adversities.
I had every chance to walk away but the end goal kept me strong throughout some of the darkest times in my life. I hope that this is apparent within the music. An album can run deep, we can interpret the songs on our own personal voyage, that often mirror our own lives.
An artist receives £0.004p in royalties per Spotify stream. To hit the monthly minimum wage this equates to 336,000 streams. Artists will and have walked away from the very lifeblood that wakes them up in the morning. For me, this assiduous music making has become so habitual; I don't think I have quite finished the journey yet. I hasten to add I use many online digital platforms for listening pleasures.
So what can we do?
Obviously purchasing the albums you enjoy; if you can't afford that a simple like or share is today's currency.
I recently read a concerning appraisal that a song has 3 seconds to grab a taste makers attention. With such mentality an album is destined to fail. The Napster spirit lives on and we must accept, that we might have to reap what we sow.
This is a sad time for the human being. In a society where one in four in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year we cannot allow ourselves less than an hour to listen to an album, WE ARE IN A WORLD THAT IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO THE WELL BEING OF THE SPIRIT.
Music in all forms has its place and value. I will be using the single format in the coming months as every format has its place.
Since 2005 the sales of vinyl L.Ps have been increasing yearly. And therein lies hope. The biggest music and movies store in Europe recently opened. Named HMV Vault, the Birmingham shop is stocking 80,000 CDs and 25,000 vinyl albums. The statistics show the album is not only surviving but making a resurgence. With a cultural renaissance in the air I salute the album purchasers and the artists that make them. Long live the long play.
I wish you a Happy Album Day.
Treat yourself and take time to enjoy those LPs both old and new.