When was the last time your favorite artist released an album? Was it recent or has it been a while since they have released music? In the year of 2025, music is no longer a thing that is long awaited. Nowadays we get singles or EPs from an artist whenever they feel like it. This new trend leaves us wondering if these artists actually make music for the love of it, or for the money.
Arguably, album releases are extremely different since the release of digital music streaming devices. The days spent camping out for an album drop are gone, now replaced by the Spotify countdown, and release dates are merely a suggestion due to leaks. This causes us to wonder, are album releases as big as they used to be?
I think they are just in a different way than before. The streaming numbers and listening parties are still ongoing, they just happen to be digital now.
The rate in which artists release albums today are very different based on the artist themselves and the genre. Genres like classical, jazz, and country have a very high volume of releases. This is not always the case, as I asked two students their favorite artists and when they last released music.
“My favorite music artist is 3 Doors Down,” said Junior, Taybor Soper “I like them because my dad used to play them for me when I was younger. The last full album came out in 2016.”
3 Doors Down is a rock band, but since they have been active for a long time, they are less likely to release music consistently now.
Now, there are several types of album drops, early, late, and surprise.
“I think artists don’t release enough albums,” senior Ethan Billing said. “I prefer when artists drop albums by surprise, but I also enjoy the hype that’s built up from early announcements.”
As Billing said, the time audiences have to “get hyped” about an album does a lot. So, how long is too long?
Every artist is different. From Taylor Swift, who has been active since 2006, has consistently released music every few years to multiple times a year, to Olivia Rodrigo, who is a popular artist who has just debuted in 2021, and who has released two albums since her debut. Despite the different ranges of release schedules, artists still maintain huge streaming numbers online. All in all, artists tend to know their audiences best and what schedule will lead them to success.
