h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How, precisely, does downloading tracks damage albums? Haven't single songs been sold individually since the days of cassette tapes, of not records?

Also, even if all songs were sold on albums, people would generally just skip to the one they like. This is particularly easy with Cd players, but the practise dates back to the days of vinyl records, when the listener would place the needle at about the point where the desired song starts.

So no, I don't think there is any 'cult of the album,' let alone damage done to same by digital downloads.

Singles used to be a marketing tool for albums rather than a product in their own right. The majority of my music is albums: I've downloaded the occasional single for nostalgia reasons but would hate to see the demise of the album. There are some great songs from Sgt. Pepper, through Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, A Night At The Opera, Number Of The Beast, Love Over Gold, Ritual De Lo Habitual, OK Computer, Mezzanine, to Employment and Costello Music, but I rarely want to listen to a song from any of them: the tracks work much better for me in the context of the albums.