It is expected that the album will be released in 4 – quarter of this year, although the exact date has not yet been notified. The first single track can be a Love Lockdown, whose premiere on iTunes already expected in the coming days!

Recall that last year having conqueror Curtis’a – Graduation sold to date circulation of 2.2 million copies (only takes into account the sale in the U.S.).

Michael, I understand how you feel. We all want tangible objects to pass down to the generations after us, and that’s a definitely a trade-off when that object is an MP3.

However…that MP3 is now able to go anywhere in the world in seconds, so even if that kid is downloading 50 Cent and Beyonce, he will have a greater opportunity to be exposed to more music than previous generations ever had.

And I have to second JCon, the product is waaaaay devalued. It’s all about making a quick buck to keep the shareholders happy. Art and commerce rarely go together.

And I

I can listen to Marvin’s “I Want You” album and feel just as much the pimp as my pops did in ’76 listening to it on vinyl. All the nuance and musicianship is still there…nothing is lost.

Each wave of technology tends to ruffle the feathers of purists from the prior generation. Remeber how the ‘old folks’ felt about CD’s vs Vinyl? It’s the same battle…

Music, regardless of the medium, is being devalued because the labels aren’t interested in quality…they’re only selling product. Artists, subsequently are making ‘product’ instead of art. They make songs with selling ringtones in mind. *That’s* devaluing music. Can you imagine what “What’s Going On” would sound like if Marvin’s whole inspiration was financial gain? (sorry for the double marvin refs…I’ve been on that real heavy this last week).

I don’t think that music retains its value – its personal worth – when encoded as a computer file and digitally stored somewhere.

Today, I can go over to my father’s house and dig out 12″ singles of Dr. Dre rapping in the World Famous Wreckin’ Cru, or Prince’s “Another Lonely Christmas” pressed up as a lavender, translucent 45 single. I can dig through my dad’s Blue Note collection and read the liner notes, and show my son the albums where Andy Warhol did the cover artwork. I can go over to my grandmother’s house and dig through her 78s that came in photo album style packaging – with sheet music included!

I know it sounds nostalgic, but you just can’t do the same thing with a MP3 file. When that computer goes bad, the Ipod gives up the ghost, or homeland security snags your music-filled flash drive while trying to get though LAX, there goes your music and memories.

I agree that the internet has allowed easier instant access to music from around the world. But I think it’s just made it easier for the teenagers of the world to listen to 50Cent and Beyonce instead of a kid in Compton getting turned on to Ali Farka Touré.

The kids of the first decade of the 21st century are going to have a hard time as adults trying to show their kids what was so special about T.I. and Kanye twenty years from now. Think about your mom, dad, or uncle getting misty eyed at the memories triggered when Curtis Mayfield or Marlena Shaw gets played at a family gathering. Will that happen in 2037?

Yeah – i know i talk too much…

Just a thought.

He described that the experience of getting a record has changed and then he focused on how that changed the game for the music industry and its focus on album sales.

I agree with your main point, though, for real.