Sheryl Crow says she thinks recording albums is a "waste of time and money."
On the eve of releasing her new studio studio album, Evolution (out March 29), Crow has expressed her frustration with how music is consumed today.
Speaking with Readly, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter explains that she believes releasing singles is the best way to engage an audience.
"I still think [albums are] a waste of time and money!’ she says with a laugh.
And while this seems like a strange way to promote her 12th album, she says the songs on Evolution felt like they needed to be presented as an album.
"People don’t listen to records as a full body of work, but I had all these songs that felt very timely," she explains. "So, I thought, 'Okay, I’m not going to make a conventional album, thinking about the beginning, middle and end.' Instead, it’s a compilation of new songs."
Crow says she felt an urgency to make this album, but once she puts the songs out there she doesn't seek any kind of approval.
"For me, these were songs I needed to write.," she says. "Whatever anybody thinks of them… well, I just stay out of that. I write, record and then I let go of it. To go and see how many times a song has been streamed is completely antithetical to making art."
Crow has been quite vocal about how the music industry has changed over the years. Recently she appeared on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, where aired her grievances about how streaming. has made things harder for the artist.
“You cannot make money. It makes me sad and sick," she told Maher. “I hate it because, for me, when you sold records, you knew you had your people. They're people. They were into what you're doing. How does it even work now?”