First off, we agree, but not in 140 chars.

My point is that the quality of albums is low, because artists release in this last-century retail format, without knowing exactly why. Explained here:
blog.midem.com

The quantity point is just to illustrate that I'm not alone in this. The quantity of albums sold has dropped. Dramatically. And it will not go back to how it was, which is fine. Choosing the album format should be a creative choice.

As for 'devaluing', that's highly personal. Having a print-out which reminds me of the original every time I see it, might increase my perceived value of the work that's inaccessible (due to monetary or other reasons).

Sorry everyone, Branch pulled in the tweets in a strange and non-chronological way. The tweet I'm replying to is:

twitter.com

I think we do agree mostly Bas, in that we like our music of choice to be of good quality, packaged & presented to suit. You struck an immediate chord when you mention falling in love with & playing albums on repeat.

I think where our points differ, is that you want to educate & implore the music maker to consider 'why' they make an album & to not feel restricted by tradition, & I want to educate & implore the (probably 'younger') listener to give the 'album' the value & respect it is due.

Perhaps 40 minute tracks costing £4.99 which give the buyer the chance to personalise & print their own 'LP' size cover is an option.

I don't know. Now we're in the "streaming age" I can't help thinking how useless my bookshelves of CDs & DVDs are. Plus I find Soundcloud's 128kbps fine for discovering music at work; obv you need better in your headphones & at home.

Technical matters aside, I agree albums don't tell stories from start to finish any more, but I still think they're necessary. Even if as "just" collections of an artist's latest songs. This is why Rdio is better than Spotify IMHO: the latter forces you to make albums into playlists (contributing to albums' decline?)

The album format is being displaced by curated playlists that are designed to enhance the pleasure of an activity or mood.

Songza and 8tracks, among several others, are making these mixes available to the masses.

This is significant, because they are popularizing the fanatic notion that different times of day call for different kinds of music. A song now exists not as part of an album but a larger experience.

As this shift gains momentum, it will cement the mentality that music is just a background activity for our activities. We have become passive listeners who engage in passive listening.

The album is no longer the primary container of music consumption, because music services have given listeners unprecedented access to curation.

"You’re selling things people associate value with because of your music" : amen to that.
It's clear that quantity of albums sold dropped and so the attention span is (around 2/3 weeks - when there's a pr team).
On the other hand it's not easy to find an alternative model for labels & artists. I think that on Kyle's point (for a label) is Ghostly Discovery ( ghostly.com ) but how to monetize it?

PS. With Bad Panda I'm experimenting a new free digital 7/12'' every monday since 3 years and now planning to release a couple of "albums" (by Dead Times : soundcloud.com and Dumbo Gets Mad : soundcloud.com) in a series of singles format over a couple months.
If have any idea 'd like experiment, feel free to let me know.