Weird Al Embraces Modern Music Model

Leave it to Weird Al to figure out how to embrace the immediacy of the digital age. The parody-happy singer has announced he’s going to start releasing his new songs online track-by-track, as they’re completed, rather than waiting for a full album to go on sale.

“This is extremely exciting for me,” Al writes in a recent blog posting. “One of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with in my career is keeping my material topical even though I only release albums every 3 or 4 years. Now, with the advent and popularity of digital distribution, I don’t have to wait around while my songs get old and dated — I can get them out on the Internet almost immediately. It kind of boggles my mind — I thought of the idea for this new song a week ago, and next week it’s getting released!”

Weird Al’s not yet revealing what the song is, but he says it’s a parody of a tune “that very recently was (or perhaps still is) the number one song” in the U.S. — something he describes as “another first” for him. The track will go up on iTunes next Tuesday, October 7.

In a time with such uncertainty about the future of physical music, our odd friend’s willingness to step back from the album-centric approach without abandoning it altogether is admirable. And there’s nothing weird about that.

Maybe certain other bands with antiquated ideas about digital distribution should start listening.