FEATURE:
Back and Forth
Aaliyah’s Music Is Finally Coming to Digital Services
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ON 25th August…
we mark twenty years since we lost the great Aaliyah. The Brooklyn-born star was only twenty-two when she was tragically killed in a plane crash after filming the video for Rock the Boat. Her eponymous album was released on 7th July, 2001. Its creator barely had any time to enjoy its success and see how it was received by the world. On 27th August, it will be twenty-five years since her sophomore album, One in a Million, came out. There is a mix of celebration of these great albums and mourning the fact that Aaliyah is not with us. Whilst one can see her music videos on YouTube, I think it is a little harder getting her music on vinyl. There are some who would say Aaliyah’s impact and influence on modern music is minimal. I would disagree. There are artists out there today who one can trace back to Aaliyah (including Beyoncé). That said, the lack of visibility on streaming services means not as many artists as one would like are discovering her and the three studio albums that she left behind. It is complex when we think about Aaliyah’s music on streaming services. Up until now, one could only really find a song or two; meaning entire albums were missing. 2001’s Aaliyah is a fantastic album that many people want to see on streaming sites. The good news is that her music is coming to digital platforms. This article from The New York Times explains more:
“For years, it has been one of music’s most conspicuous, and puzzling, absences: The majority of the catalog of Aaliyah, the groundbreaking R&B singer of the 1990s and early 2000s, has been absent from digital services — rendering the work of one of the most influential pop stars in recent decades largely invisible, and depriving her of a proper legacy. The singer, whose full name was Aaliyah Haughton, died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22.
But on Thursday came a surprise announcement that her music will soon arrive on streaming platforms, starting with her second album, “One in a Million” (1996), on Aug. 20.
PHOTO CREDIT: Margaret Norton/NBC, via Getty Images
Fans, including Cardi B, celebrated online. But the return of Aaliyah’s music remains fraught, with a battle still playing out between her estate and the music impresario who signed her as a teenager and retains control of the bulk of her catalog. Here’s an overview of her long unavailability on the services that dominate music consumption today.
What music is coming out now?
Blackground Records, founded by the producer Barry Hankerson — Aaliyah’s uncle — said it would be rereleasing 17 albums from its catalog over the next two months, on streaming services as well as on CD and vinyl. They include the bulk of Aaliyah’s output — her studio albums “One in a Million” and “Aaliyah,” along with the “Romeo Must Die” soundtrack and two posthumous collections — plus albums by Timbaland, Toni Braxton, JoJo and Tank.
The releases, being made through a distribution deal with the independent music company Empire, will introduce a new generation to Aaliyah’s work. In the 1990s, she stood out as a powerful voice in the emerging sound of hip-hop: a forthright young woman — she was just 15 when she released her first album, “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” (1994) — who sang like a street-smart angel over some of the most innovative backing tracks of the time.
Exactly what led to the current release of Aaliyah's music is unclear.
According to a new article in Billboard, Hankerson began seeking a new deal for her music about a year ago, after Aaliyah’s estate made a cryptic announcement that “communication has commenced” between the estate and “various record labels” about finally getting her music online. “More updates to come,” it said”.
It is great that, in a matter of days, One in a Million, will be available to access digitally. I understand that her estate is not too happy with this new ruling – that her music is now going to be available on streaming sites. It is a complex situation where there is this massive excitement from fans and her supporters. There are others who feel that her work should remain on physical formats. Unless the prices come down for copies of her albums, there is always going to be that demand for digital versions. Going back to the article, it explains what happened to Aaliyah’s music after she died:
“By the time Aaliyah died, she seemed well on her way to a major career. But as the music business evolved in the digital age, and Blackground’s output slowed down, her music largely disappeared.
Aside from the album “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number,” which remained part of the Jive catalog through Sony Music, and a handful of other tracks, most of Aaliyah’s songs have been unavailable for streaming. Used CDs and LPs of her work trade for eye-popping prices”.
I wonder whether, alongside this new streaming news, there will be plans to put her albums out on vinyl. Surely, that is a way to encourage physical purchase and people experiencing her music on vinyl and C.D. It is a shame that it is pricey getting Aaliyah’s music! Many would welcome the albums reissued on vinyl.
One can, as I said, watch her music videos and get album tracks on YouTube. I don’t feel that it is disrespecting her music and wishes by doing this. I know there is unhappiness from her estate. As Barry Hankerson is the man who wrote and helped mould her music early on, he has the say on what happens. That is where things get a bit sticky and tense. As a fan of her work, having access to an album like One in a Million is good news. I don’t think that there are plans to put her 1994 debut, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, on digital platforms. The only way that Aaliyah will help to influence the next generation and resonate with artists is if her music is available on the market. Streaming is a great way of making it widely available. I guess there is a bit of debate regarding pricing and people accessing Aaliyah’s albums for little or no money. Rather than argue and debate the issue of releasing her music on streaming platforms - seemingly against the will of her estate - we are about to mark the twentieth anniversary of Aaliyah’s death. It is a chance to remember a hugely important artist who, in her brief life, released some incredible music and certainly inspired many artists. We are also getting a posthumous album:
“With the 20th anniversary of her death approaching later this month, her uncle Barry Hankerson has revealed to Billboard that there's plans to release a posthumous album of new Aaliyah music. The album is yet to get a release date, but is due to feature appearances from Drake, Future, Ne-Yo, Snoop Dogg and Chris Brown. According to the piece, "Timbaland has also remixed and produced some of the sessions".
Hankerson said of working on the new music, "It has been really nice. The only part that has been a little distasteful has been so many people being angry with me because the music didn’t come out when they wanted it. But I learned to live with that. There’s nothing I can do about it”.
Her awesome talent and unforgettable songs are not only a sign of a woman who was on the verge of becoming a superstar; they are a bittersweet sound of…
WHAT could have been.