An album is a collection of music tracks, typically by the same artist. An album artist is a performer who creates and releases albums. In many cases, an album artist will have multiple albums released. While there may be some overlap between the two categories, there are distinct differences between albums and album artists. Typically, an album contains 10-15 songs while an album artist may have dozens or even hundreds of songs released.
Albums are often marketed as cohesive bodies of work with a unifying theme or sound, while individual songs by an album artist may be released across different genres or styles. Finally, albums are typically released through major record labels, while individual songs by an album artist may be self-released or released through smaller independent labels.
What is Album?
- An album is a collection of music recordings that are typically released together on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio cassette, or another medium. Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78-rpm records collected in a bound book resembling a photo album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl LP records played at 33 1⁄3 rpm. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though Albumin the 21st century has mostly been replaced by compact disc (CD) and MP3 formats.
- The audio cassette was a format widely used alongside vinyl from the 1970s into the first decade of the 2000s. An album may be recorded in a recording studio (fixed or mobile), in a concert venue, at home, or in the field Recording may take a few hours to several years to complete, Album artwork was created for disclosure with the music contained therein.
- Artwork types include Album covers and inserts, packaging design Album cover art is an iconic element of any given Album’s commercial marketing campaign Album designers employ creative marketing strategies to make each piece of Album artwork visually appealing to potential consumers.
What is Album Artist?
- Album Artist is a field in the ID3 tag specification for storing the name of the artist(s) responsible for a given album. Album Artist typically takes precedence over the individual track Artists when determining how to group tracks into albums on music playback devices and software. For example, if all tracks on an album are by the same artist, they would usually be shown as a single album on a music player, rather than each track is listed as a separate album by that artist.
- Album Artist can be particularly useful when compiling albums from multiple sources, such as compilations and greatest hits albums. In these cases, it can be helpful to use Album Artist to group all tracks from a given album together, regardless of the individual artists involved.
- Album artists can also be helpful when an album features multiple artists on different tracks, such as duets or collaborations. In these cases, Album Artist can be used to specify the overall “album artist” for the purposes of grouping tracks into albums.
Difference between Album and Album Artist
The Album Artist is the overall artist for an album, while the album is a collection of tracks by various artists. Albums are usually divided into two categories: compilation albums and studio albums. Album Artists typically have control over the album’s music and artwork, while Albums may be created by anyone. Albums are generally released by record labels, but some artists self-release their albums. Album Artists are often credited on the album’s sleeve or booklet, while Albums may not include any credits. Albums are typically categorized by genre, release date, or artist, while Album Artist can be used to group together multiple artists’ works.
Conclusion
To sum up, an album is a compilation of tracks by various artists, whereas an album artist is a person who composed and performed all the tracks on an album. Although they are sometimes used interchangeably, it’s important to understand the distinction between these two terms when describing music on streaming platforms or in your personal music library.
