Releasing live albums used to be a common practice for big artists in the 1970s. But today, up-and-coming artists have taken over the trend.
In the 1970s, live albums became creative works in their own right rather than a placeholder between studio recordings. In terms of sales, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged is the most successful live album, selling 26 million copies. Neil Young and Led Zeppelin are also regarded for their live recordings.
Interest in live albums largely dropped after the ’70s, but they have begun to catch on again, but now amongst smaller artists trying to gain a following.
Towa Bird, for example, relied on live recordings to build her audience before releasing her first studio album, American Hero, in June 2024. While many of her fans found Bird from her role as lead guitarist on Renee Rapp’s Snow Angel Tour, her social media presence also added to her growth.
For about a year, the only music Bird had produced was her live album, Live from Terminal 5, which included four of the songs that would end up on American Hero. Now, she is scheduled to open for Billie Eilish for seven shows on Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour.
Molly Grace has also had success with the release of her live album, The Lovesick Tour Live: Side A and B. She has also posted videos on Tik Tok and Instagram of her concerts.
Grace has received enough positive feedback from fans to support her transition from a deli employee to a full-time artist. Since the release of her live album, Grace’s monthly Spotify listeners have more than doubled according to Chartmetric polling.
Live albums allow newer musical artists to showcase their entertainment skills.
The skills needed to capture an audience’s attention for typically about two hours of a concert take time and experience to develop. If artists can show off these talents early in their career, it boosts their audience greatly.
Because smaller artists typically cannot afford to tour much of the country, live recordings also allow fans to enjoy the artists’ performances without having to be there in person.
Now that live albums have gained popularity in recent years, it is likely that they will continue to catch on, possibly leading bigger artists to produce them again as well.
