Micah Singleton wrote a great piece for The Verge about albums making a comeback over digital music sales
The potential to grab the interest of the internet and benefit profoundly from a positive response has incentivized artists to play the long game work toward making a great album. I’ll never forget where I was when Beyoncé was dropped on the world and the internet damn near broke. Even the greatest single can’t replicate those moments. The world is different now. But an organic response from fans can create those moments, and that’s why surprise releases won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.