Hip Hop Producer Jermaine Dupree Talks Music Shop…
Posted November 20, 2007 — in Music News
Hip Hop producer and artist Jermaine Dupree rants about the current state of music affairs. He believes Apple’s sell-by-the song model is great for consumers and bad for the music business.
Jermaine Dupree says:
These days people just assume that you need a number one single to have a number one album. But look at what’s really happening. Soulja Boy sold almost 4 million singles and only 300,000 albums! We let the consumer have too much of what they want, too soon, and we hurt ourselves. Back in the day when people were excited about a record coming out we’d put out a single to get the ball going and if we sold a lot of singles that was an indication we’d sell a lot of albums. But we’d cut the single off a few weeks before
the album came out to get people to wait and let the excitement build. When I put out Kris Kross we did that. We sold two million singles, then we stopped. Eventually we sold eight million albums!
Did consumer complain? Maybe so. But at what point does any business care when consumer complains about the money? Why do people not care how we - the people who make music - eat? If they just want the single, they gotta get the album. (silicon alley)
The Bottom Line: Jermaine speaks some truth regarding most people assume you need a #1 single to have a #1 album. Jermaine and most music execs and artists do not want to live in the singles business. I do agree that marketing campaigns around the release of albums has lost it’s sexiness. New releases rarely excite consumers and music companies forgot how to tease consumers. In fact, its tough to tease consumers due to illegal downloading. Regardless, sexy marketing campaigns won’t save the singles world. The best solution is new configuration (bundling tracks) and better albums.
Sorry Jermaine, we’re all tired of buying albums with one good song and 11 bad ones. Those days are over. Write better songs and we’ll step up and buy them, one at a time.
Comment by DaveT — November 20, 2007 @ 4:36 pm
Yea, what the industry needs now is a new Kriss Kross (…) I agree with Dave. Either make better albums or sell your singles for $10. Apparently JD has never experienced the disappointment of shelling out the money for an album based on a single and discovering what a mistake you made.
Comment by Keith Freund — November 20, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
JD those days are over. Most of the music (i’m speaking hip hop) is throwaway crap away. So no, I won’t buy a crappy album if the only thing i really like is the one c rappy song that’s been stuck into my head due to radio and video.
Those days are long gone… deal with it and come up with some new ideas for the way things are now!
Comment by Hoodgrown — November 21, 2007 @ 7:00 am
Yah but how many times have you bought an album and at first you think the single is the only good song, and then 3 months later you love the rest of the album and you dont even want to listen to the single anymore?
If were going on what sounds good right off the bat, were just going to get more of the same crap.
have bands been making albums with only one good song? or have the public changed how they view music, bands, albums, and songs?
Comment by Rob — November 22, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
I agree. If you want people to buy an entire album you have to make it worth the money. I personally wont even by a single I only purchase entire albums that are worth my money and more importantly time. Why sit and pick and choose tracks on an album when should be able to listen to the whole thing without wanting to rip your ears off. An album is supposed to tell a complete story. It is supposed to have a beginning a middle and an end not just one high point with a lot of murmuring around it.
Comment by Sarah — November 29, 2007 @ 9:45 pm