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11/18/2009 7:31:05 PM
How long should a CD be these days?

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11/18/2009 7:31:05 PM ---- Updated 11/18/2009 7:43:07 PM

How long should a CD be these days?
I just realized I have no idea. What are they running now - 45 minutes or so?

I am asking this question from an artist perspective, like how much material do we reasonably need?

11/18/2009 7:55:29 PM

What is the "theme" of your CD?
How many songs can you write with your heart and the mentality on the subject or theme of the CD / Album ?
Are you sticking to the same genre?

These are just a few questions, but the "CD" depends on your Style of attack on what you want the public to percieve.

Personnally, I put about ten to a dozen.





By the way, I think all of your tunes are great!



D.

11/18/2009 8:04:28 PM

My listening preference has not changed in 30 years ... I look at a Cd just like I do an Album ...

40 minutes minimum .... 60 minutes max .... preferably 45 to 50 minutes ...
... of course it depends if the album (Cd) is any good ... or how well it is conceived and flows ... of course there can be exceptions ... and I could be full of it ...

I hate the term "Bonus Tracks" .... Hey ... either put the damn thing in the Cd in the first place or put it on the next Cd .... or wait until those songs find a place on a later Cd ...

You can't have a conceptual album ... and then stick in things like "bonus tracks" ... unless you just title the damn Cd ... bonus tracks ....

11/18/2009 8:51:22 PM

CD?

OK.

Past tense.

11/18/2009 9:04:52 PM

Our Coloured Vinyl CD was 79 and a half minutes and 21 songs which included a scandalous bonus track that not one person got to hear unless they bought it.

There was not one tiny smidgeon of filler on it, every track was golden. Seriously. :)

However in retrospect I have to say, knowing what I know now, considering the online crowd, if that's who the CD is mainly directed to, that we presented a product that was far too vast for the audience. No one unless they bought the CD and could live with it a bit has a clue what kind of thang it was. If we had it to do over again I'd probably vote to release one track at a time; maybe breaking it up in 3 song EPs or something. heh

11/18/2009 9:08:29 PM

I'm still gonna buy one Scott ... that is as soon as the courts get their money (err that was my money) ... even though it has a bonus track, I'll cut you some slack cuz of Jilly ... :)

11/18/2009 10:56:10 PM

In most Hip Hop CDs, an artist will put anywhere from 15-18 songs of 3 to 4 minute length. I've seen some Hip Hop albums where they have a double CD, that is rare unless you are a well known artist.

11/19/2009 8:15:46 AM

I too, like to think of it as an album, around 45 minutes. Our debut EP was 6 songs and too short for lots folks. Our new record, hopefully to be released this coming spring, will have 9-10 songs. For me, anything longer, no matter how good the music is, will fast become background noise, instead of a quality listening experience. The only time this is not the case, and I am in complete absorption mode, is when my head is adjusted just right.... : )

11/19/2009 8:47:53 AM

I think you have to think of it by number of songs as oposed to minutes. Most people look at the back of a CD and just look at the number of songs, not the individual running times. Back in the day, there was an unwritten rule that every album had to have exactly12 songs, 6 on each side and the songs had to be short, usually no more than 3 minutes or 3:30.

So the average album was never more than 35 - 45 minutes. But when CD's came out and were more expensive than records, the industry felt they had to put more tracks on CD's, sometimes as many as 17 regardless of the length of each song which is now usually longer than 3 minutes.

But the 17 track days are over too because it wasn't cost effective. I think that artists are now trying to go back to the 12 song rule and in some cases even 10 songs, but there seems to be less "filler" in the shorter CD's. Listeners seem to want quality over quanity.

Since the average song is now 4 - 4:30 min and longer, the average CD is still about 10 - 12 songs and 40 - 55 min. Anything more than that is too much except in the case of a concept "double album" where all the songs are part of one theme like a rock opera.

11/19/2009 9:29:01 AM ---- Updated 11/19/2009 10:33:59 AM

"Back in the day, there was an unwritten rule that every album had to have exactly12 songs, 6 on each side and the songs had to be short, usually no more than 3 minutes or 3:30. "

Richard ... I'm not sure I ever remember that day ? .... That's why I love albums ... they are (or at least were imo) made for people that hated the three minute butcher job that radio did to good songs ... The Doors, Moody Blues, Rick Wakeman etc. etc. etc ..... never did albums by number of songs ... and even Melanie had albums with a mix of song lengths from 46 seconds to 6 minutes ...

11/19/2009 9:33:50 AM

yep... we'll never make it on "corporate" terms... except for on very rare occasions, seems i don't know how to write songs under 5 or 6 minutes... oh well.

11/19/2009 9:44:16 AM

My new album is 10 songs, and will clock in at somewhere around 31:00.
Yeah, that's pretty short, I guess -- but not by 60's standards (it's pretty average for that time). I know it's the 00's, but I would rather get in, hit 'em hard, and get out -- leaving 'em wanting more -- rather than overstaying my welcome.

11/19/2009 9:53:40 AM

Todd forgot to say "10 GREAT songs". Brad really enjoyed working on your project and said the music is very cool. I'll be listening in over the weekend. Discs going in the mail today!

11/19/2009 11:57:16 AM

Thanks, Auset!
That's sweet of Brad to say so, and I really appreciate the kind words.

You all did add a lot to "Come On, Let's Go"... but I don't want to hijack the thread any more. So, just... thanks.

11/19/2009 1:47:55 PM

12 - 14 songs about 45 mins.

unless its punk then 30 - 35 mins (same number of songs just played quicker)

11/19/2009 5:57:58 PM

I'm not sure I ever remember that day ? ....

Sam- I'm sure there are a lot of days you don't remember :-)

11/19/2009 6:12:59 PM

LOL ... ! Thanks Richard ... I deserved that ... hee hee

11/19/2009 6:35:09 PM

Hmm

Well if you're really set on making a CD?

12 to 15 songs.

Steve

11/19/2009 8:53:37 PM

Who cares how long?

Just don't make it boring.

:^D

11/19/2009 9:08:16 PM

The right answer is that a huge majority of CDs have more filler material than worthy material so artists should wait until they have a reasonable amount of great songs. That comes before planning a product. A record is sometimes only as good as its weakest link, which is the reason side 4 of the White Album never got put on the pile.

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