World of Weird Al Yankovic

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Very sad news...

Yeah, this news isn't new. We've known about it for a while now. I don't think the news is so bad, necessarily. We'll still be getting new Al music and, presumably, tours; it will just be in a different format. It will probably be better for Al in the long run, as he won't be constrained by a label, and he can release his parodies when the original songs are more current. So while it is kind of sad to think that we won't be getting any more traditional albums, it's also kind of exciting to see what Al will have up his sleeve.

False!

Sorry!!! I didn't mean to post false information!!! Forgive me!

I'm still hoping Al will do SOME physical media, even if it's only in small pressings (or whatever you call it for cd's) to be sold as merch at concerts.

Orthography Enthusiast wrote:I'm still hoping Al will do SOME physical media, even if it's only in small pressings (or whatever you call it for cd's) to be sold as merch at concerts.

I highly doubt it, but it would be nice to see some CDs for the singles.

Singles might be a stretch, but it'd be cool to see EPs once he's got about 5 or 6 tracks available.

I don't really care if the songs come out on a physical disc, to be honest. I am wondering how this change in Al's approach will affect the overall number of songs per year we get in the future, and also the ratio of parodies to originals (and will there continue to be polkas recorded without an album to put it on??).

It is cool to think that every future parody released online would be treated at least somewhat as a single, maybe even have a video, and thus have the potential to be an organic hit in contrast to the previous model where we are getting one single to promote the whole album release.

After the next album, I think we'll be seeing Al release all his original songs on digital EPs much like "Internet Leaks" and his parodies will be released more and more as standalone singles separate from the EPs. That way, Al can release parodies while the original is still timely.

Maybe Al will still release full length 12 track albums independently but he'll skip the physical releases entirely and go straight to sites like iTunes and Amazon with them. He might not do this because he wouldn't want the fans to pay twice for songs they already own as singles, but then again I imagine certain songs could only be sold "album only" on those sites (especially Amazon) at least due to their sheer length.

However, this still raises a few logistical questions.

For example, what about music videos?

Al has stated previously that he has no problem arranging video production for his originals as they are done a year in advance of the album, but the parodies might present him with some problems as far as timing goes. Plus, one of the things he learned from the WYL experiment in '08 was that releasing a parody without an accompanying music video makes his parodies float quietly under the radar to all but his most rabid of fans.

Then again, he did manage to produce music videos for all four of the "Internet Leaks" within two months of their recording and release dates which is still pretty impressive. Still, three of them were animated and one was live action done on no budget whatsoever. People have come to expect videos with higher budgets when it comes to his self-directed parody videos. How is he going to pull this off without the traditional album format?

I think Al would most likely release a new parody whenever the single is mixed and mastered just by itself, and then work on a video to be announced later as most artists seem to be doing with their songs. The originals would be fine. He could just do what he did with the "Leaks" and plan out the videos in advance, then release them simultaneously with the songs themselves.

Also, what about polkas?

They are a staple of his oeuvre. He has said there would be "rioting in the streets" if he released an album without one. I'd shudder to think of what chaos would ensue if he just stopped doing them altogether. That would be unthinkable. Al just can't stop playing the accordion. He was raised on it, for crying out loud! He's been doing it so long that polka is practically in his blood. On the other hand, it would be hard for him to figure out how to market or sell a polka medley as a standalone single in this day and age. After all, he may have to give the odd interview to the press about his songs every now and then...

Wait, what am I saying? That's the LABEL'S concern, isn't it? If Al's going the indie route, he can probably sell as many polkas as he darn well pleases without a care in the world as to who it would appeal to. I think Al and all of us know the answer to that question anyway. Al himself said the're no such thing as "mainstream music" anymore because everyone listens to whatever specific niche or subgenre appeals to them anyway. Still, I think I could see Al just releasing a polka as part of an EP with his originals on it rather than a standalone single.

Finally, what about the concert tours?

Al used to just tour every time there was a new album out. How would digital releases dictate his touring schedule? Would he just tour every summer/fall after a new EP is out? Would an EP really justify a whole new tour if he's probably going leave of the odd song or two from the performances anyway? How would he fill out the rest of the setlist between the new songs and the 6-8 classics he has to preform?

Will this change the scale of his tours? Will he be forced to preform shorter sets at smaller venues? Will start having opening acts again? I'd be all for that if it gives him room to showcase some fresh new up and coming comedic talent, but the only way it wouldn't be a step back for Al is if his new reduced touring schedule gave him more time for his family as well as other future projects like books, developing screenplays, TV guest spots and other web based entertainment.

As you can see, this announcement made me think a LOT about where Al's career as we know it will be headed very soon and I thought I'd be remiss not to share it here for discussion because I don't have all the answers and I doubt Al does either at this point in time.

He will most likely have a set touring schedule. 2 years on 1 off. Those are just numbers I'm using as example. And as long as he does promotion for his stuff he will probably be able to keep it at the same level.