One thing I believe that has suddenly popped up is how many artists these days (including Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift this year as an example) like to "re-release" their albums with new material (usually 4-8 more tracks and some videos). It's like version 1.1 of that particular album. Given artists prefer to complete a tour before starting an all-new album,  

One thing that I have to say:

It's not worth buying the "regular" album at full price unless:

A) The album isn't a success and gets discounted
B) A special edition gets released.

Who started this trend?

One thing I believe that has suddenly popped up is how many artists these days (including Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift this year as an example) like to "re-release" their albums with new material (usually 4-8 more tracks and some videos). It's like version 1.1 of that particular album. Given artists prefer to complete a tour before starting an all-new album,    

One thing that I have to say:

It's not worth buying the "regular" album at full price unless:

A) The album isn't a success and gets discounted
B) A special edition gets released.

Who started this trend?
I've definitely noticed that too, I think it's because more and more people buy song by song instead of whole albums, so after their album has been on itunes for a while, they release new songs to get back onto the top of the charts, if an artist releases an album in the fall of one year, their album gets drained by that spring usually, but the re-release often guarantees them a spot on the summer charts.

I have no clue who started this trend.  :D

Basically, for everyone who purchases this "new edition", it INSTANTLY makes the original version seem OBSOLETE (after a very short period of time!), thus, what ever they paid for that first album instantly goes down the drain (although it could make a great present for somebody special). It's planned obsoleteness gone amok!

  I know it's been happening alot with older albums - remastered tracks of the original usually accompanied by live tracks, demos and alternate versions.  Sometimes squeezed onto one disc, sometimes onto a second disc which is the case with the first two Pretenders albums I've recently purchased.  But artists double-dipping their latest album is just weird...

  We may be witnessing the death throes of the compact disc...

 

  I know it's been happening alot with older albums - remastered tracks of the original usually accompanied by live tracks, demos and alternate versions.  Sometimes squeezed onto one disc, sometimes onto a second disc which is the case with the first two Pretenders albums I've recently purchased.  But artists double-dipping their latest album is just weird...

   We may be witnessing the death throes of the compact disc...

 


As a fan of one of the older bands...such as The Moody Blues...they did the same thing. Release an album (Like "Days of Future Passed" from 1967) and 40 years later...have a 2 CD pack with songs that didn't make the album cut and Live Tracks.

They're trying to energize album sales, basically they come out with a couple new songs and re-release the album to get people buying it again, it worked pretty well for Rihanna. It's definitely a good move for like Lady GaGa who wasn't really popular yet when her album first came out, now that she's huge at the moment re-releasing the album with some new songs will undoubtedly spur more sales of her album.

Leona Lewis and Duffy both did this with their debut albums

I have no clue who started this trend.  :D


;D



  We may be witnessing the death throes of the compact disc...
 


I think the addition of bonus material actually started not long after the compact disc was created.  74-80 minutes capacity versus 44-50 minutes on most LPs and cassettes.  I have Book Of Love's self-titled album from 1986 on CD and bonus tracks are included.



I've definitely noticed that too, I think it's because more and more people buy song by song instead of whole albums, so after their album has been on itunes for a while, they release new songs to get back onto the top of the charts, if an artist releases an album in the fall of one year, their album gets drained by that spring usually, but the re-release often guarantees them a spot on the summer charts.



They're trying to energize album sales, basically they come out with a couple new songs and re-release the album to get people buying it again, it worked pretty well for Rihanna. It's definitely a good move for like Lady GaGa who wasn't really popular yet when her album first came out, now that she's huge at the moment re-releasing the album with some new songs will undoubtedly spur more sales of her album.


Exactly and exactly.  :) 

I think the addition of bonus material actually started not long after the compact disc was created.  74-80 minutes capacity versus 44-50 minutes on most LPs and cassettes.  I have Book Of Love's self-titled album from 1986 on CD and bonus tracks are included.


it's been going on longer than that.  The Smiths were notorious for having released dozens of collections.  First the single would come out, then an EP with the single repeated with "bonus" tracks, than an LP with one or two new songs.    The Beatles had their albums all chopped into smaller collections in the states, and usually had repeated tracks among them so you could get three albums out of two albums worth of material. 

They really began ramping up this behavior with compact discs sometime in the mid 1990s.  First it was a couple bonus tracks, now it's entire CDs worth of material.  When the current crop of music is so bad that long time customers have nothing new they want to purchase, convince them to repurchase what they already have.  I'd say it really began in earnest when the back catalog sales of well known albums began to bring in significantly less money as people repurchased their old LPs on CD.

... it worked pretty well for Rihanna...


Rihanna has to come up with a new schtick.  How many times can you do a record with that same annoying nasally voice?

Perhaps her long term career will be as a model, as she does have a unique look.