Quality vs. Quantity: Is over saturation a problem in music?

Year in and year out in the music industry, especially in hip-hop, we see artists who take the term “work ethic” to another level when it comes to releasing new music. In less than a year’s time from the release date of his only mixtape in 2014, we saw Future release three more mixtapes and one album for a grand total of five full length releases. Now, for artists to go on that type of a spree in a span of less than 365 days they must be extremely focused and inspired, right? However, some people might propose the argument that the increase in production (oversaturation) from those artists could lead to them burning themselves out or the longevity of their records being tarnished due to their listeners becoming accustomed to the increase in frequency of releases.
Future is not the first, nor will he be the last artist to use this model for releasing new material. Since the rise of Cash Money and No Limit Records, artists such as Master P, Lil Wayne, and even Curren$y have saturated the market with music in hopes of creating a higher demand or buzz for their work. Not only does oversaturation entail one particular artist saturating the market but a certain type of sound within a genre can also become saturated such as a trap or club sound, which is why artists are constantly experimenting with new sounds so they will stand out further from their competition. In this day and age we as fans of music are met with the dilemma of “quality vs. quantity”. Would we rather an artist we listen to focus on giving us more music with frequent releases, or would we rather them take their time working at a pace of maybe one full length project per year or two, but put everything they have into that one release quality wise? Oversaturation only becomes an issue when the increase in production of new material leads to a drop in overall quality of the product. For example, retail stores such as H&M and Forever 21 have been able to keep their prices lower than some of their competitors in the fashion industry by using cheaper materials in the manufacturing process of some of their clothes. Customers love the trendy designs and styles that are in stores, but sometimes the company might hear a few complaints or get items returned due to them being flawed or the clothing becoming damaged. With the increase in production and cheaper costs on the back end, the stores can keep prices affordable on the front end as well, but there will is a drop in the overall quality of product since the materials are cheaper.
To translate in music terms, artists can release as much new material as they see fit because only they can understand the true vision that they have for their art. However, if saturating the market with more frequent releases leads to a drop in the overall quality of the artist’s final product in order to just keep up the pace, then yes, oversaturation is definitely a problem. Watering down a good product just to make more of it will not only damage the quality, but also the reputation of the distributor of that product which will be harmful in the long-run. Everyone has their own specific pace that they are comfortable working at, and that goes for artists as well. But, if artists can successfully increase their production rate to the point where they can satisfy the insatiable taste their fans have for their music without having to sacrifice the quality of their work by rushing through the creation process, that’s a win-win situation for both the artists and the fans.