What comes first: the album or the tour dates?

As artists begin a new trend of announcing concert tour dates before releasing new albums, Chapman students discuss their opinions and experiences. Graphic by HARRY LADA, Art Director

Flamboyant, feathery boas and screaming “Watermelon Sugar” at the top of one’s lungs is a typical experience for a Harry Styles concert attendee. Hailey Tovar, a sophomore business administration major, found herself at Styles’ concert last year as a final hoorah before her little sister headed off to New York University, since they both had been lifelong fans of all his music.

“I literally had the best time of my entire life (at the concert), like nothing can be better than that," Tovar said. "I think life has been terrible ever since that concert.”

For many people, concert-going is a wonderful way to celebrate a beloved album from their favorite artist. But recently, artists such as Harry Styles and Rex Orange County have announced tour dates before the release of their new album. For concert-goers, this raises some concerns about spending a small fortune for a concert where they don’t yet know the songs being performed. 

Tovar anticipates purchasing tickets for Styles’ next concert before his album, “Harry’s House”, is released May 20. Although she is counting on the album being a hit, Tovar said the music isn’t the only reason she loves to watch Styles.

“The way he performs is so good that what’s coming out of his mouth doesn't really matter. When I feel sick or I'll be going through an anxiety attack, my mom will be like, ‘Put Harry Styles on,’” said Tovar. “Next week is gonna be like the worst week in my entire life (due to finals) and (the album is) such a reward at the end of the week.”

For sophomore film production major Christian Lau, $50 tickets way up in the nosebleeds section is an ideal concert experience. At the last minute, he decided to go to a Harry Styles concert last year with a couple friends without having ever heard anything besides Styles' most popular songs.

Lau told The Panther he understands both sides as to why and why it might not be a good idea for artists to announce concert dates before the release of their album. On one hand, he said artists should allow time for fans to decide if they want to attend a concert for an album after its release.

“I (can see why artists would want) the album to come out before tour dates, just so everybody has the opportunity to hear the album before making that decision,” Lau said. “And that gives people more of an opportunity (to) like the artists and grow notoriety and kind of grow on the charts and create as much buzz for the concert as possible before that album comes out.”

Lau also acknowledged the flipside of the argument, conceding artists may want to give long-time fans a chance to grab good seats before fans of the new album come in and snag the best spots.

“I think it's almost ideal that the artists release the tour dates prior to the release of the album, because it gives original fans of the artists an opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public,” Lau said. “It's a way of being loyal to their original fan base before a potentially massive album comes out and it becomes more difficult to get tickets.”

Senior psychology major Katherine Flynn believes artists should announce tour dates before album releases and suspects this new trend may be a business tactic.

“I think it would make more sense (for an artist) to announce their tour before the album comes out to start marketing for their new music, but I don't think it really matters if they have a dedicated following,” Flynn told The Panther.

In February, Emma Raanan, a sophomore public relations and advertising major, had to make the decision of whether or not to buy Rex Orange County concert tickets before his new album was released in March. Raanan took that leap of faith — and luckily —ended up loving the album.

“I mean, I already love (Rex Orange County); me and my friends bonded over him in high school,” Raanan said. “We would listen to him together in the car. So (when the tour was announced) I was like, ‘I'm going,’ and the album (ended up being) good, so I was right.”

Although it might be nerve wracking to make a hefty purchase for tickets without hearing an album first, Raanan recommends listening to the album on repeat once it is released and preparing for the concert by learning as many lyrics as possible.

“Once you buy tickets, you kind of have to listen to the album a lot to prepare for the tour,” Raanan said. “I feel like people will buy tickets and then be like, ‘OK, I'm gonna listen to the album so I can sing it when I get there.’”