Entertainment For Lively Minds
Compilations - Have they a future?
Posted by Badlands on 8 September 2009 - 5:44pm.
Following on from the 'List of 10' thread, I find myself wondering whether 'Best Of' or 'Greatest Hits' compilations have a future?
Given the almost unlimited availability of downloads (both legal and illegal), won't most people build their own 'best of' rather than buying a commercially packaged collection?
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There will always be a......
Mother's Day, Dad's birthday etc etc
Comp sales are actually down a lot, mostly due to the Woolworths effect, and the fact that the Supermarkets don't stock as many comps
They'll still exist...
Even in the download world, people will want a pre-selected Best Of/Greatest Hits.
but not compilations, surely??
I don't see the point of downloading the latest Now compilation or what have you, as you wouldn't like all of the tracks.
makes more sense to go for a track a time, doesn't it?
The Now last Christmas
was the best selling in the series.
Not everyone has the smarts or inclination to roll their own.
My daughter downloads the NOW CDs
as she gets all the latest hits in one easy to download package. She's not so discerning that she cares if there's the odd track in there that she doesn't like - the iPod/phone has a skip button.
I suspect she's more concerned with just getting the music onto the iPod at the touch of a button then getting on with her life.
Your point
is partly what inspired my 10 track compilation post. I have found with most of the best ofs that I have bought that they are not that well thought out or put together. They generally include a couple of tracks I dont want or they throw in a couple of new songs to promote an artist who hasnt recorded anything for a while. As you say in this digital age we can easily access the songs we really want and delete those we dont.
I 'heart' compilations...
I like compilations. Not necessarily your popular stuff mind, but those containing bands/music that dwell within a particular genre that I want to further investigate. So, for example, I recently purchased this two disc collection from here;
http://www.thirdwavecollective.co.uk/
because I like a few of the bands on there, and I want to check out other bands of a similar ilk. (After buying this compilation I've gone on to purchase music by at least 3 other bands on there).
Not all music can be easily found for illegal (or legal) download, and Spotify isn't the best thing since sliced bread that so many want us to believe. I don't listen to the radio, and even if I did a lot of this material would never be played. Compilations are a good entry point to a lot of otherwise unheard of bands.
You Can All Join In,
Nice Enough to Eat and Bumpers is where I stopped.
Well
Bumpers is where I started and have not stopped since. Vinyl, cassette, CD, er, downloading for research purposes only. It's the future.
Presents
A huge number of single artist compilations get bought as presents. After Christmas, the big selling time for compilations is mother's day. These markets will continue for a long time to come as a physical item is much more of a present than a download code.
Not only presents
But a lot of people can't be arsed to choose their own music - it's too much effort that they'd rather spend doing something they're more interested in. It's much easier for someone else to pick a selection that they will like - especially with a brand they trust, hence the continued success of the Now compilations.
I guess it's similar to listening to the radio rather than an ipod - it's nice not to be control sometimes.
Compilations are also far better value - buying 40 tracks on iTunes would cost you £31.