Admit it – you don’t buy all of the music that you have an interest in. And hey, despite what countless fans will have you believe, there’s nothing wrong with that.

The general consensus in Hip-Hop music is that we need to support all releases and put our money behind all hard-working rappers. On paper, it’s quite a refreshing concept, but how beneficial and forward-thinking is it?

The significance of album sales has been decreasing rapidly in this new era of Hip-Hop and that’s due to a few things. The impact of social media has allowed the artists, who could only move a few thousand units for their album, to still be successful.

Secondly, the concept of quality > quantity comes into play, as artists and fans alike are becoming more satisfied with a positive response to the quality of the music rather than the numbers themselves, often dismissing their importance. In addition to that, streaming has changed the way we calculate album sales as a whole, so for better or worse, folks paying for a popular streaming service are less likely to ship out an extra $10-$15 for an album they already have access to.

But lastly and perhaps the most sobering reason is that people just no longer want to buy albums in 2016. Why would they?

On rare occasions, you have an album like Tetsuo & Youth which has been masterfully crafted, but that is deep in the minority by today’s standards. Most albums these days are 15-18 songs which have been thrown together inattentively with the hope of some making it to the radio and some pleasing a core group of fans. Unfortunately, more often than not, an album like that outsells a masterpiece like T&Y, giving YouTube commenters and forum trolls fuel for hate-filled rants.

What does an album sale even mean nowadays?

It all depends on who you’re asking. A couple weeks ago, the founder of TDE himself took to social media to interrogate fans about the first week numbers for ScHoolboy Q’s single which features Kanye West. It marked the triumphant return of the Black Hippy rapper but failed to hit 27k sales first week – almost embarrassing considering Q boasts over 1.6 million followers on Twitter. Top Dawg demanded answers and like the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

The single is disappointing, but in reality, that’s beside the point. The real issue is the fact that artists could be beginning to expect obligatory purchases for sub-par efforts. The idea of paying for all the music we lend our ear to is truthfully a beautiful concept, albeit a flawed one. It minimizes our voice and its value. In many circumstances, fans have already made the decision to make a purchase before they even hear the music, which is backwards thinking. To put it simply, fandom is both good and bad.

Let’s put it in context. If a below average single from a rapper sells exceptionally well because everyone decides to buy it, the artist is oblivious to the real perception of it and will likely continue to make music in the same vein, to their own detriment. In this situation, both the artist and fan suffer in the long term. However, if listeners resist like in the instance with “THat Part”, the artist is fully aware that a change is wanted because of the disappointing reaction. The perfect exchange, right? Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as that. There’s one big elephant in the room and its name is Money.

The main drawback to us not paying for music (that we feel is undeserving of our cash) is that we’re essentially stealing the livelihood of our idols. Yes, artists rely on their music to make a living and as fans, we should support when appropriate. However, there are multiple avenues like touring and merchandise, for fans to support, and by not just buying anything our favorite artists release, we’re able to hold them to a certain standard. Not to mention the fact that it brings back true value to the numerical aspect of the game and takes it away from being a popularity contest.

It’s an idea that most artists will probably condemn in the present moment, which is understandable. Trust me, you’ll thank us later.

– by Akaash Sharma