Ever since news broke that album sales were down 20% in the first quarter of 2007, the press has been all over the album format. The New York Times's Jeff Leeds was the latest to cover the beleaguered format today. Leeds offers a few new tidbits on a topic that has been covered to death. The most tantalizing development, an album incentive plan in conjunction with iTunes, is mentioned near the middle of the quote.

"Because of this shift in listener preferences — a trend reflected everywhere from blogs posting select MP3s to reviews of singles in Rolling Stone — record labels are coming to grips with the loss of the album as their main product and chief moneymaker.

In response, labels are re-examining everything from their marketing practices to their contracts. One result is that offers are cropping up for artists like Candy Hill to record only ring tones or a clutch of singles, according to talent managers and lawyers.

At the same time, the industry is straining to shore up the album as long as possible, in part by prodding listeners who buy one song to purchase the rest of a collection. Apple, in consultation with several labels, has been planning to offer iTunes users credit for songs they have already purchased if they then choose to buy the associated album in a certain period of time, according to people involved in the negotiations. ...

Another solution being debated in the industry would transform record labels into de facto fan clubs. Companies including the Warner Music Group and the EMI Group have been considering a system in which fans would pay a fee, perhaps monthly, to 'subscribe' to their favorite artists and receive a series of recordings, videos and other products spaced over time.

Executives maintain that they must establish more lasting connections with fans who may well lose interest if forced to wait two years or more before their favorite artist releases new music."

Of course, some analysts claim the album will die. Even though a la carte downloads and playlists are preferred by younger consumers, the CD won't die outright any time soon. This year is the first in which the "death of the CD" claims -- now a good four or five years old -- are anywhere close to being true.