At this point, the aesthetic difference between a mixtape and an album is slight; in the last few years—ever since it became free and easy to distribute them online—mixtapes have grown into hour-long, fully original, single-artist projects often featuring A-list guest verses and expensive beats. But despite nearly identical levels of polish, what distinguishes a modern rap mixtape from a rap album is its goals. Albums are supposed to move units and to generate singles. They fit into the well-oiled, decades-old recording industry machinery.
While mixtapes can and often do produce singles and sell some copies, their targets are more flexible. Mixtapes are a way to attract new fans, something for old fans to talk about on social media, a reason to tour, and a way to show off collaborations with bigger arists. Albums are dicey propositions in a post-internet music industry where sales are more elusive than ever. Only the rare rap megastars even sniff platinum these days— Magna Carta Holy Grail only moved a million units because Jay-Z finessed the RIAA into counting a million copies Samsung bought for users of its phones.
Even outside of rap, the numbers are grim. And while Miley Cyrus inspired at least a million thinkpieces in the run-up to Bangerz , the album itself only inspired about , people to buy it. Chance gave Acid Rap away for free with the full understanding that at his level, exposure was more valuable than potential sales.
Free online distribution is cheap and easy and therefore a much better option for any rapper trying to further their career. A mixtape was released free of the cost that is self-produced, independently to gain publicity and avoid any copyright infringement. An album is a collection of various tracks that are compiled in vinyl discs, audiotapes, or a CD.
Albums gain popularity in the mid of s, and that period is also referred to as the album era. In the 21st century, also it is popular. But now it is issued in MP3 and compact discs format. Recording of most of the albums takes place in a studio. The time frame in recording an album can vary from months to years. Because it requires several takes, and then tracks may be recorded at different times and then mixed. Mixtapes became common in the s.
Although audio cassettes by Philips were available in , the quality was not very good. Songs were programmed in such a way so that they could play continuously with beatmatching. The beginning and end of the song will be distinguishable with abrupt or fade edits.
It is released free of cost. There are two types of mixtapes, i. Public mixtapes can be used publicly and are intended for sale to multiple individuals. It can be called a party tape where a recording of music can be prepared by the DJ of the club. A private mixtape is usually for specific listeners.
A mixtape is very popular among the youth. From audio cassettes, it has now come in CD and MP3 formats. Because of more availability of CDs and the disappearance of audio cassettes, it has happened. Because in CDs, it can have more songs, is durable and very easy to prepare. When the CD start to replace any other format, mixtapes also moved from tapes to CD, even if the original format was still on this support.
On a mixtape, there is no transition between two songs. Indeed, instruments and often lyrics continue on another tune. Said differently, you could listen to different songs or music elements without any transition. As I already introduce, the goal of a mixtape is specific. At the beginning, they were just another support to promote commercial songs that you can hear on the radio.
But years after years, it has become a true expression medium for most artists. I told you that rappers like this format because they are not so constrained as for a commercial song. They are free to let their creativity speak. So their personality is generally more present in a mixtape. For a good quality mixtape, most artists are recording it in a studio. This will also be the best way to add some effects on the soundtrack or add more instruments, what is important in a mixtape.
As you probably already understood, there is only one track on a mixtape, with all the songs mixed on it. Finally, a mixtape and an album are similar, no? Everyone already knows what an album is, but to be complete, an album is a music production recorded on a CD , a vinyl or any other medium that can be used today. It is a collection of works created by a composer. But it can also belong to a singer, a music group or a group of musicians, for example.
For an album to be seen this way, there must be at least two tracks recorded on it. Note also that recorded music should not be played until the album is released. Discs are the main support for albums releases. It was on vinyl discs in 60s, 70s or 80s, and then it moved to Compact Disc CD. Even today you can still find albums on CD.
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