Between YouTube & leaking albums, I'm surprised albums are selling. Most artists put their CD's on VEVO so fans can hear the entire album.
— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) December 27, 2015
Are CD's becoming extinct? That's the question I ask myself because most artists put their albums on VEVO so fans can listen to the entire album. If they like the album, they're more inclined to support that artist because they've had a chance to listen to the album before buying the CD. Between YouTube and leaking albums, I'm surprised albums are still selling. The music industry has had to adapt to the technology industry because technology provides a potential untapped market. If my favorite artist puts out an album online and I listen to the entire album and like it, I'm able to buy the CD because I've heard their music. In the old days, you didn't have that flexibility because technology hasn't advanced like it has now.What if someone bought an album they didn't like? They've wasted $15 on a CD they weren't checking for. If artists promote their music through social media, they gain more support than they would if they promoted the old-fashioned way, word of mouth, mixtapes, etc. You have some artists who do both: Promote their music via VEVO/YouTube and do shows, put out mixtapes, etc., but social media makes it possible for artists to reach a wider audience by promoting their music. No matter the artist's popularity, it's guaranteed they have a YouTube VEVO page or social media account. Listening to albums on VEVO can be a blessing & curse. It's a blessing because the consumer's able to judge whether the album is worth buying, and it's a curse because the artist loses potential money from album sales.
