Itunes Pro Or Against album only tracks

[IrishLamb]

I was wondering what are peoples thoughts on album only tracks on iTunes.
I personally thinks that all albums should be album only with the exception being the singles, every time a new single is released it can be made available to buy on its own.
I think that this would help bring up album sales again and would also only allow official singles to chart.

[king_oxymoron]

I think this is a Mad About Music topic

[JimJim]

Great question and really difficult one to answer.

In some ways, this does exist, I know there has been times when I've gone to buy an album track on Bandit.FM (Sony's version of iTunes) and only the singles have been available to purchase individually.

On one hand, yes this could potentially help album sales, on the other hand, you could argue they are losing potential random album track sales + people might just go look illegally if they can't buy it legally on its own.

[joel77m77]

On one hand, yes this could potentially help album sales, on the other hand, you could argue they are losing potential random album track sales + people might just go look illegally if they can't buy it legally on its own.

I agree with this. I feel that if people only wanted to buy a few or one album track, then if they can't buy then individually they would turn to downloading it illegally.
However, I do think it's a good idea and I think it would help in increasing album sales but only by a small amount. But then it would decrease general legal single sales IMO.

[NothingFails]

I say no because all it does is encourage illegal downloading because like it or not, a lot of people aren't going to pay $10 if they can get it free

[Mikerocha]

I agree with only making available the singles ans then only get the other tracks with album only.

Albums are supposed to be a concept piece of art. since iTunes entered the market it seems like the charts are not the same anymore. Albums basically dont exist anymore. And this thing of "People wont buy the whole album". Welp, of you dont have the money dont buy.

Im absolutely pro album tracks only on iTunes

[jpguy]

They will easily lose lots of customers who will easily download the song for free... I don't think one is interested on paying $12.00 for the new FloRida album or the new Pitbull album if they can just get "Wild Ones" or "Give Me Everything" free on the internet... if it was someone like Adele or even Jay Z , it'd definitely work differentely...

[CrazyCrazy]

I must admit, I hate it when I do want to download a track and it is album only, what if I don't want to waste my money on a crap album just for one song?

[sbk]

Do non-single album tracks really sell that much anyway that they are a threat to album sales? It's really only the singles that people usually want.

[IrishLamb]

They will easily lose lots of customers who will easily download the song for free... I don't think one is interested on paying $12.00 for the new FloRida album or the new Pitbull album if they can just get "Wild Ones" or "Give Me Everything" free on the internet... if it was someone like Adele or even Jay Z , it'd definitely work differentely...

I know what you mean but what I was saying was that you could download the single from the album individually, but to get the album tracks you would have to buy the whole album. ITunes could still use complete my album and just take off the price of the singles from the album.

Also, while yes this would possibly make people download tracks illegally it could potentially increase album sales and at the same time would only allow official single to chart. I think if people didn't see the album tracks on iTunes chart they wouldn't know they were there so they would either hear them when they are released as singles or when they by the album. But anyway most of the songs that chart on the iTunes chart eventually become single so might not matter in the long run. For example eminem's single love the way you lie charted high on iTunes when Recovery was released but was eventually released as a single. Just my opinion.

[Breathe]

Yes because I only buy singles I like.

Labels are lazy and don't release the single and artwork on iTunes, so I end up not buying it because I refuse to purchase album versions.