Album Facts for Kids

A compact disc inside an open jewel case

For other uses, see: Album (disambiguation)

An album is a collection of recorded songs or sounds. Musicians create albums to share their music with fans. Today, most albums are sold as compact discs (CDs). Many artists also release their music on vinyl records, which are popular again.

Different Kinds of Music Albums
- Studio Albums vs. Live Albums
- Other Album Types You Might Find
What Are Album Tracks?
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Different Kinds of Music Albums

Studio Albums vs. Live Albums

There are two main types of albums: studio albums and live albums.

Studio albums are recorded in a special place called a recording studio. Here, musicians can record each part of a song carefully.
Live albums are recorded when musicians are performing in front of an audience. This usually happens at concerts, capturing the energy of a live show.

Other Album Types You Might Find

Compilation album: Imagine a "best of" collection! These albums bring together songs that were first released on many different albums. Sometimes, all the songs are from the same musician (often called "Greatest Hits" albums). Other times, each song is from a different musician.
Debut album: This is the very first album released by a musician or a musical group. It's their big introduction to the world!
Solo album: A solo album is made by just one musician. This often happens when a singer or musician who is part of a band decides to create an album without the rest of their band. It can also happen if they leave the band and start performing alone. For example, most of Beyoncé's albums after she stopped performing with Destiny's Child are solo albums.
Tribute album: These are also called "cover albums." On a tribute album, a group of musicians plays songs that were originally made famous by another, often well-known, group. The musicians who play these songs are sometimes called a "Tribute band" if they mostly play music from one specific artist. For instance, a Slipknot tribute band would mainly play songs written and performed by the band Slipknot.

What Are Album Tracks?

Albums are normally divided into tracks. Each track is a part of the album that contains one song. The word "track" is often used to mean a specific song on the album by its number. For example, the "fourth track" or "track four" from an album is the fourth song you hear when you play the album from the beginning.