ALBUMS ARE DEAD - My Tips for new bands

Me rambling about the current state of the music industry and what to do if you're starting a new band today. Don't get me wrong I will still put out albums simply because I love the format and I still have a passion of putting out music in the album format. What are your thoughts? Discuss! AND SUBSCRIBE SHIT!
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[@OlaEnglund]

Me rambling about the current state of the music industry and what to do as a band today. Don't get me wrong I will still put out albums simply because I love the format and I still have a passion of putting out music in the album format. What are your thoughts? Discuss! AND SUBSCRIBE SHIT!

[@Door333]

Ola Englund you get that hard drive sorted out?

[@AvyScottandFlower]

Great, I like it when yo talk about stuff that is serious to us musicians, like this :)

[@drcockles]

Love your channel, it led me to buy Haunted album on CD 🤟🏼🎸

[@Zachary_G]

Ola Englund can you please do a video on the MXR Flanger Doubler and Dimebags many tunings

[@kevinmiller1251]

I say keep putting out albums , but keep doing everything your doing as well. I agree though you have to do more then just release music.

[@SithuAye]

My advice for all of you out there wanting to release music. First off, make sure that the music you're making is fully reflective of you and your band as musicians and artists, and that it's something you're proud of and have fun playing. If you're releasing music to fit in with a genre or scene stereotype then chances are unless what you're making is an exceptional example of the genre, then people more than likely aren't going to be interested in it. My second point, and this mirrors Ola's view, don't sign to a label and don't recruit a manager. They provide absolutely zero value and exist only to drain you of your money if you're at my or Ola's level in the industry. Thirdly, like Ola says, marketing is a big factor. But when you do it, do it from a place of passion and be genuine. Don't use the 'marketing strategies' of big faceless companies or bands who have no direct connection to their fans. Engage, speak to people and share in their enthusiasm for music. Inject your personality into promoting your music. And for the love of all that's good and holy, don't directly message people asking them to check out your band. Lastly, be patient and have a sense of perspective. You often see bands or artists explode onto the scene that seemingly come out of nowhere. But trust me, every single one of those people has put in literally years and years of work into what they do. Overnight success stories are almost non-existent in the music industry, so be prepared to sink a lot of time and effort into your music.

[@MercilessMrBrooks]

Couldn't agree more! What I want to stress out even more is online marketing, it is extremely important. I see so many bands fail on this particular field. A good example is Aegaeon, they put out a new album just a couple of months ago and I can guarantee the sales were underwhelmed. It was a missed opportunity because they already got a big following, their fanbase was anxious for a new record after years of waiting, hype could've been built around that and it was the perfect moment! But they didn't utilize any of those things help push the sales to its peak. So many things could've been done and they just missed it.

[@PretoMeuCoracao910]

Is this the real sithu aye

[@FabioEloi]

Sithu, I can't forget one day in 2014 when I saw your playthrough of Skye, years after stop playing and even listening everything metal-prog-related. And stopped blaming my Strat as an excuse. Stay true to your music, thanks for engage an oldie to be a teen again.

[@TheWho58]

Or you could pray worldstar plays your video so you can blow up and beat a 50 yr old Beatle record

[@palodine1]

well said. I agree

[@Viper-dz2kw]

I wouldn't have believed that albums are dead until this summer, I help teach a music related summer camp and the kids were taking a break from playing their instruments and were playing a game of jeopardy one of the questions was "name an artist and one of their albums" half of the kids responded with "what's an album?" It was a really surreal experience

[@aristacattejones8778]

Another option is releasing each song on your album as a single every 2-4 weeks until you've released them all, and then compile them as a final album. That way, you are still fresh in people's minds, but still have a complete album at the end that people can buy as physical copies if they want.

[@cleftturnip7774]

Albums mean more to me than youtube channels.

[@AstraVex]

110% agree with you there :)

[@didienshairwan9026]

I think Ola agrees with you as well. He's just saying these days youtube channels helps.

[@ErikH147]

they have more value, but are not always as lucrative

[@volgalgzkaradagoglu]

No he literally said DON'T RELEASE THE ALBUM. YOU ARE WASTING THE ALBUM OF MUSIC IF YOU dont have marketing bla bla... (I forgot the last part :D )

[@philarson297]

The way it should be

[@OlettaLiano]

I started to think out of the box, but the donuts were inside the box.

[@OlaEnglund]

life is not easy man...

[@RudyAyoub]

Lmao

[@certifiedpossum8655]

Break the box, now you don't need to think outside the box and donuts are free.

[@kingbassk83]

i feel you man.

[@ericwilliams7374]

I like donuts!!!!!! Especially custard filled donuts!!!!

[@MoodAmbient]

Great speech. The censorship sound is annoying though. Censorship is also dead.

[@jasonwalker1015]

KZbin won't monetize his video if he swears, that's his paycheck bro

[@omarlopez1372]

Not only does it get demonetized, it won't get recommended to others.

[@MoodAmbient]

Thank you. Good to know!

[@jjs8426]

Censorship is dead but this isn't censorship this is decency. Censorship is about suppressing ideas, swear words are for humans who haven't grown up yet.

[@STIMUL8ED]

I really liked the “noise” ...it was like a “micro-Seinfeld hit” idk...it made me laugh...NOT aloud tho😾😒😑...

[@death-metalhead6818]

I still love and buy physical albums... I'm just 21. I just hate it when music is released just as singles for the sake of releasing it. Sure that marketing is really important nowadays but I don't even listen to bands that only release singles...

[@Gdude899]

so if the best song you've heard ever was released as a single and you was compelled to listen it more than once you wouldn't be able to? ...not sure you meant what u said so though i'd throw a bit of a rhetoric Q at u

[@death-metalhead6818]

@@Gdude899 no that's not exactly what I meant. (I'm german and my english skills aren't the best) I generally buy CDs/records and listen to them as a whole. Of course I listen to singles that lead up to a whole record. But if the band is continuously releasing "just" singles to get streams online I probaply won't check them out. My philosophy is that I can't possibly listen to and discover all the good shit that's out there. So I don't mind if I'm missing out on "the best song ever". It's like Schrödingers cat...

[@Gdude899]

yeh think I know what u mean just recalled a band that was a "single band" and I don't really like the wait and not getting the full idea, but if a band focuses on quality over quantity which I stand by 100% I don't mind them being a "single band" and again I can recall one and so glad they barely release anything cause it shows they are working hard to perfect one or two songs.

[@SpectralResonanze]

What do you think of "EP bands"??? Mi proyect is a "+20minutes Conceptual EP band" thant plans to release a 4-5 songs EP per year (one was released on May, the remaster will be available on december, and the second EP, will be released next year) upon the main music platforms, is Sci-fi themed, and will be acompained with youtube videos, covers, "Comic-Manga" style concept art to create a universe arround the music... If you wanna check out, you are welcome

[@RobbieTayVaughan]

Hears single, checks out band. See them live, buy the album. Thats hows ot works yall

[@ThrashingBasskill]

I studied media sciences and if I would have to sum up the current media consumption behaviour in a dark way.. it's like a drug you start to get used to. That's why you need more and more new stuff to get one dopamine kick after the other. An Album used to be something to get excited for, to listen too 1000 times and to get a long lasting kick out of it because the market was not saturated. Now the mindset is like an addict, too unfocused, too jumpy, too damaged to enjoy one thing to it's fullest. The newsfeed on facebook and the 1000 subscriptions are like a conveyor band shoving one kick after another into your brain. Market researchers already noticed a "subscription fatigue". All this happens in a cacophony of screams for attention, where you have to stand out from the ones that want to stand out from the mainstream... (this got darker than I intentioned).

[@Deederrr]

... maybe you feel like that. I don't. Cheers!! and metal \m/ get better soon.

[@danielgunz2364]

@@Deederrr i think he is describing society's short attention span

[@danielgunz2364]

What is media studies exactly about?

[@YeshurunMusic]

I think you are right on.. Have a wonderful day..

[@ThrashingBasskill]

@Daniel Gunz It`s very versatile and depends on the exact subject and university offering it but at a bachelors degree, it´s basicly a very broad overview about what Media was in an historical aspect, what it is now (like facebook, Instagram, Newspaper in digital form, etc.), how it is used, how it can be used, etc. etc. You can form your semesters to a degree but yes, that's about it.

[@AndriyVasylenko]

Brilliant video! Another thing I would like to point out is that now music is often on the shoulders of single musicians. Those “lone warriors” compose, record, promote everything themselves, in the meantime doing videos, day-jobs, and caring about family. This is why making full-length albums is impractical and exhausting for them. Collaborations push it faster, but still...I am even not talking about making good money by selling music. It’s become charity by fans. Young boys write me all the time asking to give an opinion on their music. They full of time and hope, and even giving a dollar on Bandcamp could encourage them to KEEP WRITING MUSIC, to take this craft several decades further. Which is important, I believe.

[@sbentsen2714]

well said sir! by the way Im a fan of your videos!

[@AndriyVasylenko]

Wow, glad to know my comment has been seen)) Thank you so much!

[@austinj.trevathan7810]

Nice comment! Nice to see you here friend!

[@sbentsen2714]

of course! I can still hear your voice in my head, "Hi Frriendss..its Andriy Vasylenko.." :-)))))

[@Ill-Advised]

I rarely comment on KZbin, but Andriy's response is insightful. It seems that a lot of listeners misconstrue this "one-man-band" configuration as ego when the reality is that it is incredibly difficult to not only convince 2-4 other people to commit long-term to a musical project to begin with, it is almost impossible to financially sustain a growing band in the streaming era. Becoming a "lone warrior" is usually a last resort and requires an insane amount of time and musical ability. It is a required adaptation in this time in order to survive for many. I think this is unfortunate because there is something to be gained through collaboration and just having the support a band can provide. But it can also be an incredible source of efficiency (both financially and musically), especially if the artist has a strong vision. If you have a love of learning, this path will never get boring. The sacrifices are many and it's not easy (as Andriy mentioned), but if you're an artist then there is no choice. You have to do it. That's the thing most people don't seem to get, you create because you have to. There was never a choice.

[@BaenaCarcosa]

I've been saying this for soooo long! So happy to see you share the same thoughts

[@wyldeman7]

Andrew Baena I subbed to you from the over now cover. So, he's exactly right. That was a smart cover to do because any metal head that listens to post will hear that song and know it would transition great to metal and go search for it. Just like I did

[@astheriaa]

Me too but people I play with don't get it. Thank satan I'm the boss there :)

[@toiletfarm]

Same here, and every band I'm in shits on me for suggesting singles instead of albums.

[@LostInVegas]

👍🏾

[@diegofelipebarrero2857]

Being harsh and all, but you only speak the truth. I´ve never thought of it that way of being constanly uploading videos and being on people´s faces all the time, but looking at it that way, that´s how I hooked up on your channel and music, you were ALWAYS on my KZbin homepage. Smart marketing and tips for upcoming musicians. Thank you Ola.

[@Kamijin01]

By far, the most straight up and direct way of describing the current state of the music industry. Ola basically said it best. It's all about marketing, presentation and streaming. The market is over saturated and people are burning cash to make an album with little to no return. Most musicians I notice are not releasing anything beyond 4 tracks due to cost. Singles and EPs are the norm now. Amazing how things have changed.. Sigh

[@modelbass]

Having heard your views in the past on the state of the music into totally agree. I am 49 and back when I was younger it was all about the record deal. Now it doesn't matter. Excellent video.

[@bradmarden8392]

Haha I read your comment wrong - I thought it said "I'm 49 and black" and I was thinking "How is this relevant to the rest of your comnent?" 😃

[@666Ekinox]

As a music fan, I have no interest in the way musician are prostituting over the internet. I want a good album.

[@tjandhuri]

Cool as a human being I'm sure Ola wants to eat that costs money these days.

[@666Ekinox]

That is why you need to learn a trade.

[@AIGuns]

LOL

[@StalwartSpartan298]

Prostituting lol “for $20 I’ll music all over your chest”

[@kotymccallister5150]

@@StalwartSpartan298 LMFAO

[@Songofwyrd]

Everyone sounds super sad and depressed because who honestly gets into music as an art form / form of expression to make social media content?

[@mljones99]

Great stuff Ola. As strictly a consumer of music I like listening to a whole album... I like to think a complete album tells a story (with some bands, some bands no) but can totally see your viewpoint as an artist. Makes complete sense.

[@PabloDupret]

Olá Ola, you said it all. No jokes today. I’m depressed.

[@BentAnat666]

You're not the only one saying it, Ola. But you ARE probably the "biggest" one saying it. Music nowadays is a large chunk of marketing that's more important than ever...

[@manny75586]

This is true. I'm an entertainment attorney. Labels have been trying to push people into overall deals for precisely this reason. They recognize that revenue streams are far more diverse than just album sales now. It makes more sense to release singles on Spotify/Apple Music etc and ex post lumping them into a collection you want to call an album. The old days where people sat around waiting for their favorite band to release a new album are long gone. One note though, definitely eventually re-bundle your singles as an album though. Search algorithms and payouts are slightly better on them ultimately because that part of the business hasn't entirely caught up with how people consume music now.

[@ProjectCreativityGuy96]

I totally dig where you are coming from, Ola. You honestly are today's inspiration of Metal music, and even with the Industry, because I know releasing music is tough, and you gotta work hard to even protect your music from theft and copyright, ect... You are a great guy, dude, and I'm not just randomly saying that, Ola. You truly have almost changed somewhat part of my life. I truly just thank you very much for all the great things you do, dude. Music needs more people like you today!! \m/

[@MangoOverload91]

The current state of the music industry has basically removed any motivation on my part to pursue the dream of becoming a professional musician. It was already pretty unlikely before, but now it's damn near impossible. Even if I did make it, being a professional musician nowadays is not really a sustainable career path, especially in metal. I'll always be a musician, I'll always play guitar, I'll always record music and maybe one day I'll release some of it. But I can't see myself being able to work 24/7 like Ola has to, especially due to having a full time (sometimes more) job already just to not starve and lose my shelter. Making music takes so much time, but that isn't enough anymore, Ola is a prime example by diversifying and starting a guitar brand. The Periphery guys all have signature products they presumably take a cut of, Misha also has his own pedal company. Chappers started a guitar brand. Josh Middleton does Kemper packs. The list goes on. There is almost no metal bands now that make money purely from tour and sales.

[@insertanynameyouwant5311]

yeah, that sucks. Starting brand is not smth all musicians can do by default. The one needs to know a lot about business in general. Josh Middleton is the closest to what musicians might do.

[@MangoOverload91]

That's pretty insulting. Thanks.

[@offshot1st]

Same man honestly. I saw it going this way when I was 17/18 (10+ years ago) got to 20 and packed myself off to uni for something else. The irony is I still havent had steady work in that either lol. Might as well have been a metal muso lol

[@aaronpaul4592]

This is a really tough subject for a lot of amateur and intermediate level musicians. Especially those who are sitting on a lot of music, and not quite sure what the right format to bring it to the world is. I think your advice and insight on this subject is definitely needed for a lot of people. The landscape has changed drastically for new and old artists alike, however all hope should not be lost. Communities like this one are a great way for like minded individuals to gather together over common interest, and have a better shot at sharing their craft with those who might be interested. But you did make a powerful point. Don't go waving your CD in peoples faces. I needed to hear a lot of what you said in this video and I hope others can gain similar insight also.

[@1lorenzoercoli]

I agree with what you said, nowadays albums are the least reliable source of income and exposure for a band: people don't buy albums or go to concerts anymore. At the same time I may be dumb, nostalgic or stupid but I'll probably stick to doing albums simply because I get the most fun doing it. At the end of the day If you're having fun, just do it.

[@OlaEnglund]

Same here man, personally I love the format and I will keep on making albums for now.

[@RohannvanRensburg]

Tons of people still go to shows. And the album format will never die. It's certainly less popular, but that's because mainstream human beings don't actually listen to music often. Complete artistic works tend to follow narrative structure, and in the same way that full length films will always be around, there will always be people who understand and appreciate the value of long-form, even if it's not popular.

[@1lorenzoercoli]

I'm not speaking of the medium/big bands but the underground ones that charges 5/10 € per show. There used to be times where the only way to listen to those bands was going to a concert and, if you liked what you heard, buying an album. Nowadays in 5 seconds you can judge if a band is for you or not, so it's not convenient to put lots of work for an album when the same goal can be reached with a video or just one song.

[@RohannvanRensburg]

Again though, what's the overarching goal? To have fans for the sake of fans, or to write music because you love music? Every great band I like has done the latter (including, if I'm not mistaken, Ola, Periphery, etc -- Misha and/or Mark said in an interview "How do you make it in music? Well honestly you don't go into it to 'make it'"). Nobody went to bands' early shows. Steven Wilson still calls it "paying your dues". He mentions having played live for 4 or 5 people the first few shows. Opeth's first show was a ridiculous embarrassment and they played for about 4-5 years without touring in the US or having most people know their name. Metal has never been lucrative initially -- the bands that are still doing it are playing the long-term game. I still see crowds of 20-25 people at random mid-week metal shows here in this relatively small, non-metal west-coast town in Canada. The problem is the pendulum (as it always does) swung too far -- before it was hard to get noticed due to lack of exposure. Now everyone and their grandma has access to music making equipment and the internet is utterly oversaturated with mediocre music. I still think though, as before, the "cream rises" -- bands that are truly putting their all into for the long haul will get noticed.

[@1lorenzoercoli]

The goal is always and should always be to write music because you love music. However to play your music live and touring you need money: you need to pay for bus/van and fuel , you need to eat and you need to sleep, you need money to record you music in case you're not able to do it by yourself, you need money to print CD's and merch in general. Since you mention Misha and Ola, I've hard time believing that they both make a living just with their respective bands. Misha recently said that basically the entire PIII Euro-tour was a loss of money and they'll need to plan carefully how touring for the next album: you don't want to tour for 9 months and find at the end that you lost money. Ola and The Haunted don't tour as much as other bands, probably because they plan carefully which dates to do and which not. That's why Ola has Solar Guitars and YT and Misha has Horizon Devices,GGD and his signature stuff: it's their way to make what they love and also make a living out of it. In an oversaturated market, that's the only think you can try to do in order to make a living out of it. To sum up: if you do music, do what you love and inspires you the most because even if you don't make any money, at least you are having fun which imho is the most important thing.

[@TylerNOS386277]

The Music industry died and was resurrected as the Clothing industry. - Bands no longer sell music, and give away free shirts at shows; they now give away free music, and if people like a band's music, they'll buy the shirts.

[@TheSunshineGroup]

When in the world did bands give away free shirts?? Maybe I'm too young...but that shit is expensive!

[@TylerNOS386277]

Bill boards ads, TV ads, and Radio ads are more expensive than shirts. Hand out some free shirts and you get free advertisement every time they wear your logo.

[@TheSunshineGroup]

@@TylerNOS386277 true, but those are even more dead than full music albums! It also depends on how good a design one has made. I custom made my T-shirts, and the time and demand of them proved to me that I should sell them and give my digital music away for free. Sure, you get advertising anywhere that person walks, but it's a lot cheaper to buy bumper stickers and stick em up everywhere, plus it's fun ;) I just don't think it's worth it to give away crappy band t-shirts

[@jebemtigolaz]

I think I rather buy a shirt to support the band than buy their music and support getting the band exploited by their label.

[@guidorodriguez96]

Stop trying to sound edgie please. That makes no sense. I prefer giving people free music and let them choose if they wanna buy a shirt to support me than giving them free shirts and charging them for the music.

[@laurachaotic2024]

If you absolutely want to put out an album because it's your dream and the album will be like your "baby" and you don't really care about the results, or selling or not...just go for it, but if you have a band that you want to promote, have gigs ...I completly agree with you, I don't think spending time and money recording an album will help at all nowadays so you better invest your time on the social media providing a few good songs and quality contents and maybe you'll find success

[@dpb22]

When you release your art to the public it becomes entertainment and no longer just art.

[@willb3698]

Chaotic Beauty: Exactly, It's certainly a dream of mine to release a concept double album - vinyl - gatefold. Do I expect to make money from it? Never.

[@abraham1O2]

Agree completely. Local band doesnt have an actual album, just an EP but they play shows all year round and promote nonstop on fb, not on a label. Just got picked up for a show with the faceless and has done shows with cryptopsy. Wont be long before they blow up

[@ThePlanemadness]

What is the band called?

[@abraham1O2]

ThePlanemadness Epitasis

[@dropd8288]

The 1st album I ever listened to from start to finish was Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath. That was how it was recommended to me and I want disappointed. Started buying Sabbath albums left and right and listening to em all the same way. And this was in 2010, there was plenty of KZbin around. Albums didn't die, music did.

[@ihazhedont]

This is why personnaly I do not even think about living of my music, and I am preparing an album; what matters most, is what it brings to the musicians: experience in recording and all the process of making and writting an album. People sees music as a nugget box and as you say, the attention span is very, very narrow. That's kind of pathetic. My two cents after 20 y of music ? Do it for yourself and your band. Grow through your music. If it works ? great. If it does not ? The experience you gained through this stage is the most valuable thing you can get imo, so it does not matter.

[@nightshift8249]

IhazHedont very well-said

[@elpeluca7780]

100% agree. I'm trying to write stuff (and find a band to play it with), but I never EVER thought about making a living out of it, it's simply stupid.

[@pekkalaitinen8769]

couldn't agree more

[@neonistje007]

Totaly agree,My number one rule; make music for yourself,not for someone else :)

[@stormflod9353]

I agree with your views. The industry has totally changed. Big names even has to tour nonstop to make ends meet. And when the touring stops, so does the moneyflow. I think its best to have a "normal" job that pays the bills, and then do as much music as possible on the side. Not really the rockstar lifestyle, but alot less stressful.. :)

[@MilitantOldLady]

Yea your wife was right. Drunk Ola is aggro Ola.

[@coobanez777]

I believe she said he was arrogant - not aggressive.

[@Even_N.D.]

@@coobanez777 sorry im late but when did she say that?

[@mackyow2614]

Ola has a great point. Because I, ask myself, when was the last time I purchased an album CD? Technology helped us move forward and get advanced easily, but at this topic that Ola is talking, it killed the excitement of going to the record stores to purchase the album. Because again, you can just get it streamed almost everywhere.

[@Oliver-ex3cs]

Don't mind me, just a lone guy without a badge passing through...

[@Oliver-ex3cs]

Hey Ola, sorry I'm broke!

[@unfcknblvbl]

Please explain what you meant by Solar "killing it". Do you mean how many guitars you are selling? Media exposure? Both? Neither? Thanks.

[@philippthoni9299]

As a musician today you have to be everything else as well: Promoter, producer, advertiser, salesman, booking agent, manager, social media expert… it's insane! The way Ola discredits the album as a means to introduce your music into the world though is quite disheartening and also not completely true in my opinion. But the tendency is very real and has to be considered. I think as as a band the challenge is to honestly assess where you're at and prioritize where to invest effort in order to take you where you want to go. To me releasing an album in a way that you envisioned it is and always will be an honest and right thing to do. I was socialized musically understanding that the album is the highest form of audible art in my time. That will probably never change for me. And i don't fully understand the mechanism by which the young kids consume music nowadays, i suppose it's some algorhythmical sinister corporate trickery! I consider all efforts that spawned later (Videos, video channels…) as means to tease you into buying an album after all, or buying gear and generating add-revenue in the more recent cases.

[@valdapuing251]

Dude, you made a lot of sense in this video! And that also Rings true not just for trying to sell an album of Music, it relates to all things a company may be trying to Market! Don't do one huge bulk release, space all your items out over the course of many months or years so that you could constantly be marketing something new, but it's all old stuff in the grand scheme of the company's product line..... Thanks for the advice!

[@Mattseak]

I don't know man, some albums you forget in a week, some stick with you months, years or decades. I've been listening to Moonsorrow's Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa and Verisäkeet for months now without growing tired of them and I could not imagine those songs being released as singles. I would say if you want to make an album, don't let it be just a collage of some songs you have laying around. Make a coherent theme album and make sure you actually have something profound to say and to offer with this piece of art you are putting out. Albums are not dead, there still is a place for them, but perhaps for most bands these days an album isn't the format that is going to help them the most to advance in their career.

[@christoffertornquist3373]

i just started to listening to albums again instead of playlists. I love it because you find more new songs and you dont get bored as fast.

[@Thrashmetalkicksass]

Not sure "thinking out of the box" means adhere completely to the "marketing is everything" way of thinking. I mean, this works for pop stars, but in metal people are actually still interested in Music. Visual and music-related are still considered as "secondary" (which is not the case for, say, Nicki Minaj). Moreover, Metal is one of the few genres where people buys music, pay for it through different means, including by buying physical copies of albums. I think that there are plenty of really talented artists (mainly guitar players) who, instead of focusing on music, they just focus all their efforts on KZbin contents and never put out an album. I mean, the primary goal of an artist should be to make music, the rest should be a way to get exposure for the music, not the main objective. I mean, I would fucking buy one of their albums. I'm not gonna name them, though ahah. And I don't think it is a matter of "level" as Ola was saying, because their "level" is high enough to get the right exposure for an album.

[@AstraVex]

I love albums. I especially love albums where the intention and concept flows from one song to the next in a progressive format, (ala Dream Theatre and Devin Townsend, instrumental albums, etc) because the album itself wants to take you on a journey. Most music fans still listen to albums. Casual fans never really listened to records, they just went on the radio or something like that and they'll still do the same thing today clicking around on Spotify or whatever. But for, it still makes sense for some artists to release their material in bursts, I don't think its going to go away. You’re always going to hear advice about the “right” way to market your art. But there isn’t a right way. The tools we have today to distribute music don’t care if you release one song, five songs, or a triple album. It’s easy to get a single song on iTunes and see how it performs before you put the energy into an entire album. It’s also easy to put out an album without worrying about the costs of distributing a dozen songs. So just do whatever works for you for each project because there is always someone who hasn’t heard your music :)

[@IlSinistero]

I dont agree, maybe in the beginning of a career this is true, but once you have a solid fan base, these people want albums!

[@Greywalker]

This is why we are trying to diversify ourselves as much as possible. Just releasing an album doesn't cut it anymore.

[@zambo1511]

I listen only full albums. And it's always annoying to me how short good albums are. Make them longer guys. And make them dope.

[@bramvanrens91]

It's literally how I got in my current band, through KZbin. I love albums but I agree, singles is where the momentum is at!

[@hamtheman222]

Dat shirt tho

[@rafguiapal4624]

IT'S 2021 AND..... OLA WAS RIGHT ALL THIS TIME!!!! PEOPLE ARE ALL OVER KZbin NOW. THANKS OLA! :)

[@AntonioKowatsch]

That was a great speech. That crowd was boring LOL

[@adrianruvalcaba2896]

I agree with everything Ola said except the statement that albums are dead. Although I haven't had the success that Ola has had, I've still noticed that album releases get way more attention than single and even EP releases. Especially when it comes to metal, I think albums are still king. Having said that I think even he agrees with that despite the title of the video. I think he's essentially saying that you can't just release an album, you have to market and promote it properly. Which includes KZbin videos and releasing singles prior to an album release.

[@jeromesnail]

Basically you're a KZbinr, not a musician. We do albums because that's what we want to do. Our priority is our music, not how many views we'll get for every burp.

[@scaryjerryofmerrykerriemay2727]

Can’t the two go together? Does that make sense?

[@martinkrauser4029]

Well then, you can play in your basement if your priority is your music and not people hearing it. Then you can be a real musician! All you need is a day job.

[@jeromesnail]

I actually play in festivals and... sell albums. Don't get me wrong, I think the KZbin thing is cool, I'm here commenting on this video because I'm subscribed to his channel after all. But claiming albums are dead and the way to go is KZbin because that's what HE did is silly. Yeah it's difficult to make a name because there are so many bands out there. But you know what's even more crowded? Yeah you guessed it, KZbin...

[@jeromesnail]

@@scaryjerryofmerrykerriemay2727 Yeah that was actually my point. You can do both. That's not what he was saying though.

[@mariaangeless]

I’m a professional on Marketing. Right now working on Accounting for pay my classes as always and studying hard to finish my bachelor this year, and you say all the truth about work on a album without exposing the band before. We’re on a high competitive level on any aspects of our lifes at this times. Life is hard right now for our generation, we have to stay focus. Respects to you 🤜🤛🤘❤️.

[@downskitty]

Another good example of this is to take a look at the video game industry, especially on the Steam platform and mobile gaming. It has never been easier to get involved in and be creating video games, but that also means that there are even more people crowding the field than ever before. Actually getting noticed, let alone making lots of sales that can fund further development and growth, has become even more difficult and requires finding ways to stand out from the rest of the crowd. And with living in the Information Age, there is so much going on to pay attention to at any given moment via so many different avenues, and without access to massive marketing machines that can provide blanket coverage across so much means that it's easy to get overlooked and be otherwise forgotten.

[@mikejones-vd3fg]

Overlooked maybe, but never forgetten in this age where everything is saved, it might take data monkeys in towers 5 miles high in the year 3000 painstakingly sifting through trillabytes of data, but the hunt will be one for those gems! And in the year 5 million, all and every music will have been exhausted and the challenge will be finding good music, not creating it. jk theres always room for another note in time so it could go onto infinity, but maybe a maximum is reached where the length of time to listen to a song is so great that practically no new music can be created, and like the universe expanding into nothingsness, so is the fate of the musical universe, unless we can go faster than light! or we can listen faster than sound! then theres hope, I believe it.

[@jayteesgear]

I play ROCK not Metal anymore but i do like to check your channel out from time to time. I think writing and recording an album (solo OR band) is EXTREMELY important. Putting one song at a time out in Lyric or Full Video format seems to be VERY effective. If a band doesnt have material they wont be able to book shows. Double edged sword but i get the jist of your points Ola.

[@Pickendi]

Need to evolve with the times.

[@CyberChrist]

I've seen it myself, I can't spend the time needed to discover an album anymore, especially now that I've stopped smoking... But I still love concept albums like Agressor's Towards Beyond, and I think those who had the vision to make one, even if released in chunks, will stand the test of time.

[@DerrylVi]

Its absolutely true and people have to hear this. I released a full album, made a few sales here and there and got stream revenue. Next thing you know,another band releases their music and you’re already forgotten in a few months. Its harsh but its the truth.

[@aaronpaul4592]

Derryl Vi I saw you on Shredders of Metal, keep doing what you do man! You have great material! Keep sharing it to the world!

[@DerrylVi]

Aaron thank you so much for the kind words and for checking our music 🤘☺️👍

[@mo000on]

I still like albums. My music collection has always been albums, and there are 2 ways that I support artists - buying their music in lossless or CD format & seeing them live / buying some merchandise at a gig. I agree marketing is everything to get people interested but if you want my money, make a quality album or play a gig in my area.

[@spirospapoutsis126]

Here is my 2 cents on the issue..You might as well start making music to please yourself,first and foremost.Then,if you feel you become really good at it,maybe it's time to share sth with the outside world.The mistake most people make is,releasing stuff too early,way too early,where their music is far from being considered even okey.They all rush to fame and glory,making it even harder for everyone else to be heard and seen. There is not any filtering of music,so the potentially ''golden'' stuff is buried under mountains of garbage and frighteningly bad music.

[@msumungo]

I don't usually watch the same short video twice in a row. I'll probably return to this one even more. Thanks dude.

[@therileyobrien]

I don’t like singles. I still prefer 10 or so cohesive songs at once. I never listen to playlists or shuffle. Having said that the news all the time concept is great. Maybe rather than singles...bands should look into changing the “album cycle”. Two years is too long these days. Btbam has done a couple split albums that released 6 months apart...that is a great idea as well.

[@MaximusAdonicus]

No, 2 years is the minimum time to wait between albums! I guess if u just listen to a few bands u are too anxious to wait for new material. But I listen to hundreds of different bands!! (I stopped counting at 400...) And I used to buy ALL the albums from ALL the bands I was a fan of, but that stopped already like about 10 years ago 'cos I simply couldn't keep up with the amount of albums being released vs my available money! So, nowadays I have a lot of bands whose last few albums I'm missing - in some cases even the last 4 albums!! And I'd rather wait 2-5 years for the band to make an 4/5 album than them churning out endless piles of 3/5 albums every 1-2 years.

[@micahnix7621]

I'm just a small guy in a small band. We play a few shows around town, and get to open for a bigger band every now and then. We still love making albums because it's fun. We broke even on our last one and that was damn satisfying. We are realistic with ourselves. We know it's very unlikely we'll make any money, but that's ok. It's not failing if you're making music you enjoy. I don't expect everyone to understand or agree. I do agree with a lot of your points though.

[@prr815]

Casual F-bombs sit deep within my heart

[@BretCahill]

Phillip Russell I see you bro

[@odic7660]

What's up my Dingdong..

[@migdonalds]

@@BretCahill how do u have that flair

[@BretCahill]

cypekpl cat what are you asking about

[@migdonalds]

@@BretCahill you have a green circle thing next to your name

[@theblackpacomurder]

pros and cons today;'s music industry: Pros: you can hear an insane amount of bands cons: you can hear an insane amount of bands I just pick a couple of songs (maybe 3 or 4) that I really like from many bands and then make a badass playlist and listening while working/driving/chillin and thats it, i dont care anymore about their album releases unless i am really into them , I dont collect albums anymore i am very very selective before spend money in music

[@hankdapper8239]

There is plenty of bands only doing albums and they kill it.. just coz you can't you think its dead.. Advice is advice Doesn't mean its good/correct

[@amarillo6685]

true

[@AD-ij2wj]

Your channel is still better than the other 49 metal channels out there. We love you brotha

[@ni_n__ho.oh__n_in]

If you really are a musician, you'll want to put your album out regardless of anything...it's stronger than you! I understand what you mean but what would become of music without the album format/concept? It would absolutely kill the artist's voice! What about the journey of making an album, it's like you're saying to people to stop having babies! lol Abort, abort! No! Just do it for your own sake! For music itself. Damn it not.

[@czr7j9]

that's why bands tour more which is good being in a place like Australia which is far from everywhere. We see more bands than ever and all my music I discover is from metal sites and spotify. It used to be reading magazines or the radio, word of mouth and going to metal music shops, which have mostly shut down.

[@goatsurgeon]

Hell yeah dude I love this shit All I’m going to do is post a new music video every Friday with a blog video about the song topic and let whoever comes, come. If you don’t know how to do your marketing, you’re not going anywhere. I’m planning on getting like 4 or 5 albums out a year and posting regularly to build traffic and audience

[@nmota12]

Yes, Ola has the point. Nowadays, making an album can be a waste of time for musicians. Having a strategic marketing plan is far more important than that, where the market is saturated. But the fact that no one really questions this same old production model & procedures since the advent of the Internet.

[@chrisstone-streetlightinte5629]

I don't know where I stand on that because I still buy albums. A lot of the time it's from bands with no label and no marketing strategy. I just happened to come across a song and from there dug into the back catalog of said group. I try my best to support artists that I think are worth it and based on where I live it's almost impossible to see most bands live, so I buy albums. But I do agree that labels are for the big players, not for the medium and low tier bands out there.

[@KillerBill1953]

The most recent new albums I bought were Editor's "Violence" on CD, and Jane Weaver's "Modern Kosmology" on vinyl. I love albums, singles have always been too short to waste money and time on. I will buy albums until I die and buy everything Vice Squad release as soon as it's available. I don't use any download services. BTW I do agree with you, I'm old and grew up buying vinyl albums in the 60s and 70s, but most young people don't even seem to believe they should pay for their music. I think the way forward is to rely on concert tickets instead of album sales.

[@pf100andahalf]

I've got enough songs now to do either an "album", or take the best ones and make an "ep", but now I don't think I'll do it that way. I think I'll take your advice and just release one song at a time as a video, like one a month. Thank you for your insight. You're right. I now realize that albums are dead.

[@stefan86wtf]

Very true. Commercial content marketing strategies certainly apply to underground music, which is slightly sick.

[@huffingfarts]

I still buy albums. I like having the physical copy, the artwork, liner notes and what not. I understand what he's talking about, but i wouldn't get the same excitement out of a digital download as i would buying the cd.

[@jeah33]

A lot of truth here. But there are also a lot of limitations with this method. For example the live and touring environment - a major component for some bands' earnings. Who will go and see a band with two or three songs out? How will they get profitable support slots? Even if they have a few releases and they want to do this method later in the bands' journey, will anyone go and see a band because they've added one more song to their repetoir? And if they've started with albums which ultimately flopped, why would this "singles" instant-gratification method get them any further? Talent talks. Money talks. Marketing talks. Hard work talks. You need them all to succeed; you can't expect to swap out of the standard album release cycle and for that to fix all your problems.

[@johncochran88]

dude ola is the man, by far my fav musician now days

[@eternallyscreaming169]

honestly that's just what I needed to hear, its such a basic way to promote yourself but its so effective. I was stressing about an album i released which obviously got no attention so I took it down for later use. I'm gonna try this technique and see what comes of it in the next year or so. Thank you!

[@f33fifofum]

Makes a lot of sense. Good insight for up and coming musicians Ola

[@kenhomeier8629]

Ola - I agree with everything you said. I hate that it’s that way with marketing. I think your videos on development of killer riffs and multitrack recording are awesome. There’s a lot of old timers like me who still listen to the same music they did in the 80’s. Even though I’m not on stage anymore, metal is in my blood and I still feel like when I was 15 when I hear a good riff. Most loyal fans ever. Keep doing what you’re doing, pay the bills. You are appreciated.

[@TheCandyMan666]

I really do like my physical albums. If a band I like would stop releasing full albums I'd probaly stop listening to them. I'm mostly listening an album complete, not just one song and then skip to something else. Tough I know I am not the majority of guys out there nowadays, but guys like myself are still out there!

[@taylorwyatt333]

While it may be harsh the honesty is much appreciated

[@QuestNation3221]

For me, albums will never be dead. I have a selection of bands who I love tat I would always purchase their albums on vinyl. Some bands I already own all their albums on vinyl. Others take some finding which I enjoy.

[@urbanpegan]

Like Leo Morachiolli (I hope I have spelled that correctly) who releases a song every now and then and then releases an album which contains a dozen or so of them. He has caught attention of two million people and more by doing so. Not to mention that the number of his followers is still rising.

[@Vestu]

You can release albums but you should release four tracks of it beforehand as singles and do all the marketing stuff Ola talks about here. Depending on the genre, you can then create physical copies of the album. Vinyl and cassette. I did that and sold out all 300 copies of Ace Buchannon - Magenta Nights

[@sonicfuker]

This is a great explanation as to why many artists aren't successful. It's also a great explanation as to why rock music hasn't progressed much.

[@martinkrauser4029]

An album is unlikely to be the way to break through, but having recorded music available for sale after shows can be a significant income boost. If you can work as a street musician, record sales can make a large chunk of what you earn overall, with the added bonus of people following your online presence who otherwise wouldn't.

[@brosolution]

Great point bro we starting a band and this info came just in time you just got a new subs.... Hello from the skabros in guadalajara much love to you!

[@EstudioDurango]

music and nuka- cola, my 10 to this man

[@AWSOMEPOSSUM16]

It's very true. I'm not a real artist yet (only started making music this year), but it really has been apparent for years. No one listens to albums; no one wants to wait 2 years for 12 songs; they want something new they can go ham with on the daily. I love albums, but even I will just spend most of my time streaming new singles. There's so much shit being released constantly that albums are useless unless you have mainstream exposure. It's just a waste of time.

[@jake5590]

Ola, just seeing this for the first time and you couldn’t be anymore right. Thank you for sharing this with the Internet!

[@xplanet2112]

Yes, totally agree with this way of thinking. Also if you’re working full time and trying to write and record an album’s worth of music it will be a slow process so putting out the odd batch of three or four songs makes sense to me. You can keep the same mix settings in your DAW so that retrospectively you can bundle your songs into an album and they’re not sounding detached from each other.

[@LeonardoSantosOfficial]

True story. I'm also trying to post more videos in order to get a little more atention. It's fucking hard but I'm still doing it.

[@guidorodriguez96]

I think there's no point in releasing full albums, not only from a business point of view, but as a listener's. A lot of albums are just random songs more or less arranged to keep you engaged but there's no point in listening them all as part of a biggest art form (Except a few that were thought like that from the beginning).

[@DaskaiserreichNet78]

You are absolutely right. Unfortunately this sucks for me as I prefer albums and my antiquated mind struggles to think in this news oriented modern way.

[@ShadowMantraSteve]

Would have to agree. I released an album and didn't get much joy. Couldn't keep a constant stream of news going to keep people interested. Met Ola in England a couple of years back and out of it started a pretty consistent KZbin channel about a year and a half ago. It's been growing steadily and for me been more effective to get people to see me as I can put something out at least once a week. Sound advice on the whole. I do still like the album format, but would agree the singles route leading into an e.p. seems to work better these days. Once there's demand for more then it's worth doing an album.

[@lucaspontes91]

Ola nailed a very, VERY good point here: music is competing with other ton of shit out there for attention. Tik Tok, KZbin, Twitter, TV (which is almost dead at the point of beign a zombie), multiple Streaming audio platforms... And music today is beign diminished to the point of just "background noise" for every kind of ridiculous content. Yep, it's really a fuckin' mess, it's a harsh truth, it's sad... But hey, music got something that no other entertainement form got: it can become raw, and wild, and powerful to the point of becoming capable of pierce through this mess and I really hope that sooner or later this willl happen e we'll see another good decades of good music coming out again.

[@aLr_boosh]

I agree with everything he says here. I've heard this from many people for years now. Rock and metal is not my primary genre currently in my life but this is probably the first time I hear these models being talked about for bands. I feel like a lot of bands are still stuck in the album format versus doing singles or a lot of videos.

[@onsonginternational5391]

Man, we 1000000% F agree. We together have a voice that will be listened too.

[@deathmetalsl]

I don't know how ,but I love you even more now man!

[@nickpatyk8050]

respect brother. and I don't have any notable accomplishments to stand on, nor upon which to predicate the following words- YET. But mark my words, I will. You''re right in many ways, if the main goal is to be seen NOW, then, yes, putting constant content out is the move. But, what about if your main goal is to create truly timeless work? That, when the Instagram shouting matches have ended, in, 100, 200 years, is still standing? I happily contend that, eventually, the guts, mettle, and integrity to shut out ALL the external noise...and listen only to one's muse...is a superior strategy, ESPECIALLY now, BECAUSE people are so heavily influenced by that incessant competition to create create create- I truly believe in...stepping away from all of that, decisively. Creating something TRULY distinctive, even if it takes...e.g., a full year. Even if there's nothing "happening for your career" during that time. Why? Because at the end of the day, truly great work will always be heard, will always find power behind it, and rise above the rest. I think just doing what everyone else is, rushing out content that's...well. The fast food of music and creativity. Is...a great way to be just another voice in the fray. (Edit: coming back to say, you're also unarguably right about marketing etc, and I don't mean to say "if you're work's that good it will magically soar above everyone else's" cohesive marketing strategies...are indefensible. A unique product, a unique business plan...may sometimes mean stepping AWAY from the constant fray of content/action and listening to one's inner voice above the rest). Nor am I saying that be UNAWARE of what's going on in your genre, the business, is a good strategy. But, that awareness, and a clear idea of how your strategy will cut through the noise...in differentiation from the rest, is the key. So. If this depressed anyone...don't listen, take heed of your inner voice, and follow your creative spirit, whatever that means.

[@mateuszkucharski1350]

You have changed my mind by this film. Seriously. I always thought about releasing the album, now I have open mind for different solutions. Interesting topic.