Some friends have kidded me for mentioning a new album by Springsteen or Green Day. They relate “album” to vinyl records. For them albums disappeared with big hair rock.
I think of album as a collection. Photo albums are in books or a computer slideshow. Music albums can be a collection of mp3’s you buy from Amazon.com, a cd, a cassette, or vinyl. The physical media doesn’t matter. It’s a collection of songs put together by a musician and his producer.
What’s your definition of album?
I’m with you. Even iTunes has “buy individual songs” and “buy album” and I’m pretty sure they’re not in the business of selling vinyl.
Your friends are nuts.
If they don’t call them “albums,” what word do they use instead?
I’m with the OP. An album is, as the OP said, “a collection of songs,” regardless of media.
CD’s. Green Day’s new CD is rad. 
Except now, CD’s are almost obsolete. 
Yes, I’m with the OP. Also, “record”. As in, “Arcade Fire’s latest record is The Suburbs…”. I’ve noticed some people reserve this word for vinyl, as well, but I think it is simply a group of songs that have been recorded. I think vinyl was around for so long a lot of people associated the music collection with the media. As noted, the reverse process happened with CDs, but that usage is fast becoming an anachronism as well.
No, “record” more commonly refers to a recording of a single song. That’s the way the Grammy Awards use the term.
This. It’s not just MY definition…it is THE definition. Format is irrelevent. When a band or individual gets together to record an “album” they mean a collection of songs/music released together as a package. Could be released on CD, vinyl, tape, digital format to be downloaded to an MP3 player or frickin’ 8-track.
I’ve encountered a lot of younger people in the last several years who used the word “CD” to mean “album” and understood “album” to indicate one of those big, flat, black things played on a turntable.
Wrong, wrong, WRONG. 
(eta, “record” can be either a single FROM and album OR an album…again, regardless of format, although to me, it carries connotations of vinyl and I don’t think the Grammy’s uses the term any more, do they? Isn’t it now “song of the year” instead of “record of the year?” As far as I know, “album of the year” has always been used to designate a collection of music released as one work. Not sure, as I haven’t seen the Grammy’s in ages.)
I haven’t seen it in ages either, but what I remember is that “Song of the Year” and “Record of the Year” were two different awards. “Song” went to the songwriter, and “Record” went to the recording artist (which may or may not have been the same person).
Checking Wikipedia, it appears this is still the case.
Given that the people who sell music still call them “albums,” even when sold in purely electronic format, “album” is obviously the correct word. An album is a collection of songs released and song as a combined unit. It’s also consistent with the fundamental meaning of the word.
To be honest I’m mildly surprised anyone has a problem with the term. I’ve heard teenagers talk about “albums.”