Album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), or audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or in digital format.
The album was the dominant format or unit of recorded music expression and consumption from the mid-1960s through to the early 21st century, a period that has been described in the industry as the album era. Vinyl LPs are still issued for certain album releases, though album sales in the 21st-century have been predominantly in CD and then downloadable (e.g. MP3) and streaming digital formats. The 8-track tape was the first tape format, widely used alongside vinyl, from 1965 until being phased out by 1983—it was gradually supplanted by the cassette tape over the 1970s and early 1980s.