[arg_discuss] Article on the future of concept albums

[John Evans]

Today's Newsday (New York Long Island paper) had an article about the future
of "concept albums". This tied in with the 40th anniversary of the release of
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-ffmus5235904jun03,0,2960796.story?coll=ny-music-headlines

The interesting thing is that they touch on possibilities of music releases
being not in the format of just a big chunk of music, but more in the format
of an extended campaign.

"Take R. Kelly's recent "Trapped in the Closet" singles: Ten years ago, Kelly might have released this complicated hip-hop-opera as a self-contained album like The Who's "Tommy."

Instead, he took advantage of the nonstop nature of the mass media, leaking out his material bit by bit in various formats. The first chapters were released as radio singles with cliffhanger endings; Kelly's 2005 album, "TP.3 Reloaded," completed the story with a total of five chapters; videos appeared on MTV and BET. Eventually he released a 12-chapter minimovie on DVD. Essentially, Kelly stretched a potential concept album into a year-long multimedia bonanza. (He has said he wants to put out more chapters and may turn the whole thing into a play.)"

I wonder if any musicians are interested in ARGs?

--John