Is Album Art Dead in the Streaming Age?

Once upon a time, the album cover was the album. It lived on your wall, in your hands, in your memory. You could recognize it across a record store or in someone’s CD binder. It told you something before you ever heard the first note.

But in 2025? Album art has been reduced to a thumbnail. A square on a phone. Often the size of a fingernail. Usually overlooked, easily forgotten.

So here’s the question:

Is album art still alive — or has the streaming age killed it off?

The Shrinking of the Cover

On platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube:

• Artwork is secondary to the song title

• It’s cropped, minimized, often hidden behind menus

• Users focus on playlists and algorithms, not releases

• Many listeners hear songs without ever seeing the cover

And when attention spans are shorter than ever, it’s hard to justify spending time and budget on a piece of visual design most people will barely notice.

Even major label drops are starting to look cheap. Or lazy. Or AI-generated. The cover has become a checkbox — not a canvas.

The Rise of Anti-Covers and Blank Templates

A growing trend in 2025: the non-cover.

Artists release projects with:

• Plain text

• Minimalist placeholders

• No title or name at all

• Stock photos, sometimes ironically

• AI-generated abstraction that means nothing

It’s a rejection of visual identity — or maybe just a shrug. The idea being: the music speaks for itself. But that comes with a cost.

Why Album Art Still Matters

Even if it’s smaller, album art still does a lot of work:

• It signals intent. A cover says: this isn’t just a song, it’s a project.

• It builds memory. Visuals help people remember songs, artists, and moments.

• It creates aesthetic cohesion. Art direction still shapes an era, a sound, a mood.

• It’s merch, identity, and narrative fuel. You still need something to put on shirts, vinyl, posters, or your IG grid.

And when it’s done right? Album art can elevate a song. Make it feel iconic. Even if most people only see it once.

Who’s Still Doing It Well?

Artists who understand the power of visual identity still treat their covers like part of the music:

• FKA twigs, Arca, and Tyler, The Creator build entire aesthetic worlds

• Rosalía and SZA use album visuals as extensions of character

• JPEGMAFIA, Frank Ocean, and Lana Del Rey play with distortion, nostalgia, and minimalism to create mood before you hit play

It’s not about making “cool” covers. It’s about making ones that mean something — even in a 1-inch box.

It’s Not Dead. It’s Just Been Shrunk.

Album art isn’t gone. But it’s harder to notice — and easier to skip.

That makes it more important than ever to be intentional. To make visuals that stand out, say something, or leave a mark — even if they’re only on screen for two seconds.

Because in a world where everything is scrolling by, a great album cover still makes you stop.

Even if it’s just long enough to hit play.