Billie Eilish proves that young people WILL stream blockbuster albums… when they’re encouraged to do so
The blockbuster album has begun looking like something of an endangered species in recent times. The birth of the streaming era, rooted in a track-led culture, has caused artists and record labels alike to question the future of the LP in an age dominated by playlists. The evidence: over 60% of Spotify streams for Drake’s record-breaking, 25-track Scorpion album are of just three songs (God’s Plan, In My Feelings and Nice For What). One recent study even suggested that a mere 16% of adults in the UK are now listening to an album all the way through in any given month. A couple of weeks ago, Apple Music boss Oliver Schusser of his hope that Billie Eilish’s debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? , would strongly challenge this trend – and prove that, on the right terms, the album as a body of work still had great relevance amongst a young streaming audience in 2019. The stats are now in, and Schusser’s confidence was not misplaced. Reveal that,...