The album is a creation of the media companies too. A way of forcing people to pay for things they don't want.
Sort of. Media distribution was not quite as flexible as today way back when the album was king. For a short while, it was the most efficient means of distribution.
I just thought that the article was a well written overview of how the industry is changing and why. I REALLY want artists to benefit from changes. No artists = no music. Everything else is just transitory support. In the case of big music companies, it became a leech then giant boat anchor.