Speaking from his studio this weekend, Mr Saville believes that cover art is dead, not just because of technology, but because the youth culture in which albums once operated has changed: “We have a social disaster on our hands,” he said. “The things that pop music was there to do for us have all been done… there’s nothing to rail against now.

“When I was 15, in the North-west of England…. the record cover to me was like a picture window to another world. Seeing an Andy Warhol illustration on a Velvet Underground album was a revelation…. It was the art of your generation… true pop art.”


Source:Independent newspaper

Matronik said:

He's onto something. Music-associated art is, for me, a way to have the music appeal to yet another sense. When presented correctly, it's expansive, immersive, visionary -- everything that music is supposed to be!

That new audio formats require little or no fixed packaging might be more convenient and environmentally sound; and that videos have long since lost their artistry in favor of becoming long-form commercials might be cost effective for record companies. But both are a horrible aesthetic losses for popular culture.
[Edited 8/18/08 8:51am]

Maybe, maybe not, considering the re-emergence of the single, the album cover is still iconic

bboy87 said:

But do material singles actually sell, or do people now buy mp3s and digital versions? I honestly don't know. I'm out of the loop anymore.

Well, it's natural it would follow the relative death of the concept album.