For decades, greatest hits albums were inescapable. They summed up artists’ careers, provided intros to unknown sounds, and served as a dependable cash-grab for labels that were able to resell music they had already paid for. But now? Seems like they’re more or less done for, killed by the infinite "playlistification" of all things (unless you're trying to make a retro statement...hello White Stripes!) We spend some thinking through what the greatest hits was, what it did, and what that might tell us about the art-form shaping format known as the album. ALSO—we talk through some of the most influential greatest hits albums of all time, from the Eagles to Bob Marley.
Further reading / listening:
A Major #Mood: Spotify, Labels, and our Dismal Streaming Future - Money 4 Nothing
Why the Death of the Greatest Hits Albums and reissues is Worth Mourning - Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Pitchfork)
The Great War Against Singles - Hit Parade (Slate)
The Political Economy of Rap Beefs
Karaoke and Personal Pop
Millennials Nostalgia Tour
Keep on Streamin’ in the Free World
A Living Wage and a Tik Tok Ban: Could…Congress Transform Music?
Imagine Dragons: The Most Popular Band of the Millennium?
Universal VS. TikTok: The Showdown No One Should Have Wanted
Pitchfork, GQ, and the Music Criticism Lifestyle
Royalty Rumble at Spotify and a Crisis at Hipgnosis
BMI Sells Out
Can You Actually Support This Podcast On Patreon? (w/Penny Fractions)
E-Zoo and the Future of Nightlife
Bandcamp Blues: (Penny Fractions 4 Nothing)
Scooter, Baby! The Life and Times of the Most 2010’s Manager You Can Possibly Imagine
Moog’s World: The Story Behind the Synthesizer Behind Modern Music (feat. Albert Glinsky)
State of Pl-A(i) With Cherie Hu
Astroworld and the opposite of ”Utopia”
Super Fans and Super Strikes
Ambient Music: Functionality and Liberating Potentials
K-Pop Merger Mania (feat. the Idolcast)
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