When did musicians start "dropping" new albums/singles?

Cue the obvious jokes, however I was wondering, how long has this expression been going for?

These days whenever I watch the "pop music" news it's always about how 'so-and-so' (typically a hip new act named DJ32Xybaby or whatever) has just "dropped a new single".

Is this turn of phrase is quite new or have there been people "dropping a new album" for decades now?

 

I always thought it was kind of strange that so many people here use that phrase, just do a search in the thread titles, it's all over the place. Seems like such an "industry" expression to me, but I guess it's just part of music talk now. No idea how long it's been going on, and probably not something I would ever say, but ya never know.

 

I first heard it back in the 1990s when rap and hip hop artists talked about upcoming new releases.

 

Yup. That's pretty much a Hip-Hop thing saying that crossed over to the mainstream world. Nowadays every Pop artist is "dropping" new singles, albums, etc.

 

I miss the days when they would break you off something new.

 

If you dropped a new single back in the 60's or 70's it probably would have broke.

 

I just did a search too after your suggestion... I'm surprised at how many people use it on this forum. I can't imagine saying it. It's just too confusing.

I would always expect the response to be: "Is it ok?" or "Be more careful next time" etc etc

 

I try to stay clear of most droppings.

 

I was careful never to drop acid because someone might trip on it.

 

As someone who works as an editor for a living (and who pays close attention to what words mean and the way they are used), the term kind of annoys me. I think it'd be an accurate term for an unexpected, surprise release, like David Bowie's last album, because drop implies a kind of suddenness. The definition of the verb drop according to Merriam Webster is "to fall unexpectedly or suddenly." So for an artist to release something suddenly and unexpectedly, the term works.

But as a word used more generally in place of "release," it doesn't work for me. I mean, I realize it's just trendy slang, and slang by its nature is informal and loose, but it still sounds inaccurate and kind of silly to me.

 

...especially when these supposed "dropped" albums are backed by months (or years) of production and marketing preparation with the combined efforts of dozens of people.

If it were a magnificent solo (or small group) effort, which could come across as a surprise, it would actually be pretty cool and appropriate. However as you say, it's inaccurate and silly.

 

These days a double -A side single would be "dropping a deuce."

 

When you release something it drops, right? Gravity?

Or something...

 

Another phrase stolen from the African American community, 90s.

 

I remember first encountering the term in the late ICE magazine but not sure how far back that was. I always thought there were certain, shall we say, scatological connotations within the term which did not reflect well on the upcoming release.

I guess that's the one of the obvious jokes the OP referred to.

 

Drop it like it's hot!

 

2001. Macy Gray wore a stupid dress to some awards show with "My new album drops on..." sewn onto the front is shiny letters. Dumb.

 

Not quite as over-used as tours "kicking off." Does music have to use sports references?

 

I remember that!

 

Aging white males discussing the merits of hip-hop slang from the 90s is so SHF.

 

There is a DJ on my favorite local NPR station that manages to work in drop/dropping/dropped about 25 times every weekly radio show he does; it's extremely annoying.

 

These days it probably means something uploaded to Facebook, iTunes or youtube. Could also mean a CD distributed to radio stations for airplay, but rarely it means release of any type of EP, LP, 7-inch, 45, etcetera, which is what it meant in the past.