In other times, Andrés Calamaro was the prototype of a torrential artist, who scored doubles and triples. But he hasn’t released any new songs since 2018. It’s not just happening here: Around the world, many music stars have stopped releasing albums. They may have officially retired but in many cases they promised to keep fighting on the registration front. I think of national giants like Serrat, Sabina, Rosendo or Julio Iglesias! I dare not say that these absences are due to a cold calculation of efforts and benefits: each case is different and personal circumstances could explain many of these relative silences. We note that examples of the opposite abound: Manolo García, Bunbury, Miguel Ríos or Fito Cabrales. Out there we find workaholics like Willie Nelson, a ninety-year-old who continues to record: his discography today reaches 103 albums.
To dispel any doubts I ask those who work in the back of that business, record labels and managers which I consider reliable. Some are surprised: in the heat of the daily battle to survive they had not noticed these record absences. But they reflect and develop intelligent rationalizations. It turns out that at the top of multinationals there are no longer many visionary record labels, former experts in encouraging releases. They also mention the pandemic as a turning point that changed the situation modus operandi of many artists: “For every one who has felt the pain of bowling, there has been another who has discovered the comfort of not having to record or go on the road.”
They highlight the growing relevance of live shows over recordings: “They satisfy the need to communicate, call it ego, with performances.” Furthermore, tours have extended their practical life: “They have lengthened the duration; today they require additional musicians, stage setups, taking out insurance, hassles.” And age reduces energy (“not everyone can be Mick Jagger”), something applicable to the effort of composing and recording: “They have studios at home but they might not use them much.”
And they add: «They feel discouraged when they see that their sacrifices are not rewarded or even understood: there is a tendency to see the boomers as a brake on the creativity of young people, without thinking of questioning the system itself.” On the other hand, it is perfectly legitimate to park albums already made: Manu Chao did and does so, who prefers to tour and ignore the industry.
The relationship between artists and record companies has also changed: «Many self-produce, finance their own works which they then license to a multinational: this is how an Alejandro Sanz works». And record labels don’t feel the urgency of getting hold of those fresh songs: «They already have that artist’s essential catalog and they worry about exploiting it in advertising, under any type of license. They call him move the brand”. Be careful, for every figure who places his material in different companies, there is the Bob Dylan model: all his work is on CBS, currently Sony, “they also recovered the two albums he took out”.
They insist on the imprudence of judging these silences without taking into account the professional situation of each artist, unlike “young artists, who must be active to feed the networks and affirm their reputation”. Although it is known that a new album from the veterans also increases their footprint on streaming platforms. streaming. But that may not be enough to combat the lack of motivation of those who have seen and done it all.
