“Prince’s promise of three albums in 2009 and he is in negotiations with “a major retailer” to distribute the music and a highly interactive website will also provide an opportunity to buy. ” (Los Angeles Times)

Prince also said he refocused on his playing while performing live dates with the singer Tamar Davis in 2006; with the spotlight trained on someone else, he could fall back in love with solos and riffs.

This is what I would like to see – more consistency and more albums from artists. Why wait 2 to 3 years between albums?

In fact, it was quite common for artists to release an album every year. As one commentator stated, “Neil Young, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin were relentess for years, and would have quality records out on a regular basis.”

Of course recording contracts have changed as well. Record deals use to be for a term of one year, with options to renew for additional periods of one year each. The artist was obligated to deliver 2 albums each year. This worked terrifically in the in the days when records were banged out like pankcakes. As Donald Passman says, every contract is a history lesson.

Releasing albums more frequently would benefit the artist and the label while keeping the fans energized. Also, it is easier and less stressful to release more albums frequently as many artists today are releasing records independently without contracts and stipulations.

What can we learn from the legends? More albums and more consistency.