What is exactly the appeal of "Best Of" albums in today's

Plebs who don't have the attention span to listen to an entire album and form their own opinion.
Wait that sounds like /mu/

Extra cash by collecting the catchiest tracks for the people who never listened to the band outside of the radio

Many bands release albums which contain several good songs and also filler. Best of compilations aim to release a record that may appeal to consumers willing to buy an album with tracks that stand on their own, regardless of how non-cohesive they may be from a holistic point of view. Some of these compilations sometimes include too some sort of outtake, rare B-side, remix of a 'middle-of-the-pack' song or a live version of a canonical song, which may get the attention of some hardcore fans.

>>73451582
They're for normalfags.

>>73451703
Yeah i know what they are and their purpose but in today's age you can just pull up spotify, look up the artists best albums and just listen to those, thus getting a better understanding of the band's sound than just their most successful hits

sometimes i prefer a well-curated compilation over an album desu. it's can be a terrific listen and is still the best way to get an overview of a wide-ranging output. besides, not all genres are album-oriented

/mu/ acts as if every studio album ever is like some deep, intricate piece that has to be listened to and appreciated in exact order, and every compilation is a vile cash-in by greedy record companies. usually they're both just collections of songs

>>73451582
They're a leftover from the pre-internet age, back when music wasn't as accessible. They made more sense back then.

>>73451582
I never understood best of albums but I guess if they're the best of the band's non-album singles it makes sense to make an album with all those readily
accessible
The smiths did that and their compilations are better than their albums

>>73451582
The fact that 'best of' compilations still exist is just a hangover from the days of physical media. They'll probably disappear completely soon.

Having said that, there are a few 'best of's I'd count among my favourite records for various reasons.

>>73452049
Any examples anon?

>>73452622
Tepid Peppermind Wonderland IMO works better as an album than any other BJM releases.

>>73451582
everything has to be fast and easy
obviously artists dont have time to make good music consistently and we dont have time to find it ourselves
so what to do?
obviously, you're gonna reuse old content put it together and call it something new
its easy and people eat that shit up every time.

>>73451745
So the thread is about the obsolescence of CDs?

>>73452039
stop spreading misinformation

They make sense for when musicians have good singles but never could release a full great album, like with Michael Jackson

>>73451582
Two cases where they're useful, would be for old artists who recorded loads but never wrote "albums" - some blues men for example - or for contemporary artists who, since recording is so easy these days, release a crazy amount of music in varying degrees of quality. Good compilations remove the need to filter put bad stuff.

>>73451582
The record company needed to cash in after radiohead left

>>73452622
the pastels

File: 61gnB+srsKL._SS500.jpg (79KB, 500x500px) Image search: [Google]

79KB, 500x500px

After the Rolling Stones left Decca and started self-publishing albums, their former label released this best-of. It was the biggest-selling Stones record of all time and the band didn't make a penny from it since they lost the publishing rights to their pre-Sticky Fingers material.

greatest hits albums are for people who aren't already fans of the artist, or to compile singles that werent released on a studio album

The first two Judas Priest albums were reissued numerous times over the years after they left indie label Gull Records for major label CBS, much like the Stones, they didn't get paid a penny for it. However, it kept Priest's fanbase aware of and easily able to obtain their early material, released before the band had a significant following (it helped of course that Sad Wings of Destiny's songs remained a live staple at their concerts).

Christgau is obsessed with greatest hits records but then much of his career happened pre-Internet, so...

>>73452622
Black Tambourine

Best-ofs are better for genres like pop, R&B, and dance music in general since they're based around singles and not albums.