What is the average length of an album? (spreadsheet)

[IDontNotDoThings]

Have you ever wondered what the average length of an album was in 2017? Well I compiled all the album lengths & track counts from the year-end Billboard 200 for that year & put them all in a spreadsheet.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTI5D6XC3K7nH73zfh7i6ljgNNwyuGoLWxpzoWeiN4CTgrOEnL8WUUc3q_2IciL_CV4PXPmN2pyynq1/pubhtml

tl;dr - the average length of an album on that chart was 55:44, the average track count was 15, & the average song length was 3:44

Enjoy. 

[wolfking]

Have you ever wondered what the average length of an album was in 2017?

errrr.........

[IDontNotDoThings]

Have you ever wondered what the average length of an album was in 2017?

errrr.........

Is that an answer to the question or did I mess something up grammatically?

Because yeah, this isn't likely going to be of much use to anyone who isn't a massive statistics nerd, but I thought I'd share it anyway for anyone who was curious.

[Crow]

that number is reeeeally heavily skewed by soundtracks, greatest hits collections, and "mixtapes", arguably none of which are "albums" in the traditional sense

it'd be interesting to do this for, like, the top 1000 albums on RYM for 2017 or something. or just the top 1000 albums on RYM of all time

[wolfking]

Have you ever wondered what the average length of an album was in 2017?

errrr.........

Is that an answer to the question or did I mess something up grammatically?

Because yeah, this isn't likely going to be of much use to anyone who isn't a massive statistics nerd, but I thought I'd share it anyway for anyone who was curious.

Nah mate, I'm just being a dick, don't mind me. 

I will say though, the average track count is surprisingly high, but in reality with the pop culture I guess it would be on point.  Average track length seems bang on for the mainstream.

[IDontNotDoThings]

that number is reeeeally heavily skewed by soundtracks, greatest hits collections, and "mixtapes", arguably none of which are "albums" in the traditional sense

ask & ye shall receive
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSDoTVVMR36TJkuF71Oqlf4PXHuB_qkeKH-RzFaQfmugF271FErM3b8jwKCvst3XIYyuFX5etNt_qa5/pubhtml

(also good idea on the RYM chart, I might do that later)

[Architeuthis]

I just think it's sad that most people don't listen to full albums these days in this busy fast paced electronic world. Everybody's downloading, ripping songs, making playlists. I much prefer listening to a whole album, actually taking the time to hear what the artist is all about. This means going to my local record store to support it, and buying the physical copy of a cd or record with the artwork and lyrics and credits.
 So I just have to say this: People just don't have the time for music anymore, and no-one seems to care..   So true!

[Crow]

if entire albums showing up on the billboard hot 100 says anything it suggests lots of people do stream the entire album the week it comes out & then never listen to it again
also compilations & soundtracks apparently didn't skew it quite as much as i thought, huh

[IDontNotDoThings]

also compilations & soundtracks apparently didn't skew it quite as much as i thought, huh

Yeah, there were actually a lot of soundtracks that were really short (the Trolls one was only 35 minutes  ), so that kind of balanced out with the soundtracks being so long.

That said, before I took out the Garth Brooks collection (which was a 10-disc boxset, 7 hours), the album average was quite a bit higher (58 mins iirc)

[MirrorMask]

I just think it's sad that most people don't listen to full albums these days in this busy fast paced electronic world. Everybody's downloading, ripping songs, making playlists. I much prefer listening to a whole album, actually taking the time to hear what the artist is all about. This means going to my local record store to support it, and buying the physical copy of a cd or record with the artwork and lyrics and credits.
 So I just have to say this: People just don't have the time for music anymore, and no-one seems to care..   So true!

I'm all for full albums. I don't even "skip", not saying of course that it's wrong, anyone listens music the way they prefer, but the concept of listening an entire album but avoiding one or two songs is completely alien to me. Sure, from time to time I listen to a specific song, but if it's an album I want to listen, I go all the way through it. There's a local band I follow that in interview stated that their new album is a whole coherent body of work and that you're supposed to listen to it from start to finish to fully get the atmosphere and the mood. I love that.

[Crow]

i very very rarely skip songs unless it's something i deem completely unlistenable (usually talky tracks - see the one on the new caligula's horse, which i've sat through maybe 3 or 4 times ever)
but yeah other than that i love my full album experience

[Stadler]

Where do albums with bonus tracks fit in?  That skews it too; all the Queen albums are now anywhere from 2 to 6 tracks longer because of bonus tracks. 

I can remember dubbing my albums onto cassette, and most were in the 40-45 minute range.  Some - Foxtrot, some of the mid-period Maiden - would stretch up to 45 tp 50 minutes, and the occasional oddball - Deep Purple "Live In London" - was up to 60 minutes long.

[MirrorMask]

I can remember dubbing my albums onto cassette, and most were in the 40-45 minute range.  Some - Foxtrot, some of the mid-period Maiden - would stretch up to 45 tp 50 minutes, and the occasional oddball - Deep Purple "Live In London" - was up to 60 minutes long.

Yeah, the good ol' habit of having an album on side A of a tape and another album on side B. Iron Maiden AND Killers on a cassette, The Number of the Beast AND Piece of Mind on another....

[pg1067]

I can remember dubbing my albums onto cassette, and most were in the 40-45 minute range.  Some - Foxtrot, some of the mid-period Maiden - would stretch up to 45 tp 50 minutes, and the occasional oddball - Deep Purple "Live In London" - was up to 60 minutes long.

Yeah, the good ol' habit of having an album on side A of a tape and another album on side B. Iron Maiden AND Killers on a cassette, The Number of the Beast AND Piece of Mind on another....

I remember those days.  Maxell or TDK?  Type I, Type II or Type IV?  I'd get pissed if an album wouldn't fit on one side of a C90 cassette, and I remember having to split Suite Sister Mary between the two sides to get Operation: Mindcrime to fit on a C60.

[IDontNotDoThings]

Where do albums with bonus tracks fit in?  That skews it too; all the Queen albums are now anywhere from 2 to 6 tracks longer because of bonus tracks.

Bonus tracks aren't counted.

[IDontNotDoThings]

it'd be interesting to do this for, like, the top 1000 albums on RYM for 2017 or something. or just the top 1000 albums on RYM of all time

Welp I got bored & had too much time on my hands today, so here it is: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQj-Kl5xKfUvWwo0e4469hTYY_tRQnOufXOT11TOjDAlLam8DgNMa89le4QA3wjmPm6axJ2ZT4L_jBw/pubhtml

(only 200 though, because I forgot you specified 1000 oops)

[pg1067]

it'd be interesting to do this for, like, the top 1000 albums on RYM for 2017 or something. or just the top 1000 albums on RYM of all time

Welp I got bored & had too much time on my hands today, so here it is: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQj-Kl5xKfUvWwo0e4469hTYY_tRQnOufXOT11TOjDAlLam8DgNMa89le4QA3wjmPm6axJ2ZT4L_jBw/pubhtml

(only 200 though, because I forgot you specified 1000 oops)

Only 27/200 albums released in or after 2000, so the averages are about what I'd expect (although what a (generally) shitty list!).

[Stadler]

I can remember dubbing my albums onto cassette, and most were in the 40-45 minute range.  Some - Foxtrot, some of the mid-period Maiden - would stretch up to 45 tp 50 minutes, and the occasional oddball - Deep Purple "Live In London" - was up to 60 minutes long.

Yeah, the good ol' habit of having an album on side A of a tape and another album on side B. Iron Maiden AND Killers on a cassette, The Number of the Beast AND Piece of Mind on another....

It's funny; to this day, I equate certain pairs of albums for that reason.  The first two Priest albums.   Sin After Sin/Stained Class.  Hell Bent/British Steel.   

[TAC]

Yes!

[ZirconBlue]

I can remember dubbing my albums onto cassette, and most were in the 40-45 minute range.  Some - Foxtrot, some of the mid-period Maiden - would stretch up to 45 tp 50 minutes, and the occasional oddball - Deep Purple "Live In London" - was up to 60 minutes long.

Yeah, the good ol' habit of having an album on side A of a tape and another album on side B. Iron Maiden AND Killers on a cassette, The Number of the Beast AND Piece of Mind on another....

Sometimes they actually released albums that way officially.  I bought a Van Halen cassette that had Women and Children First on side 1, and Fair Warning on side 2.